Claims
- 1. System for handling and transporting seed cotton comprising a mobile press assembly, a pallet and a tilt bed transport means.
- (a) said mobile press assembly comprising a plunger subassembly and a container subassembly, said container subassembly comprising a plurality of vertically extending side walls, an end wall and a movable wall with a container chamber therebetween, said pallet at the bottom of said chamber and a winch attached to said vertical end wall, said plunger assembly comprising a vertically movable tamping subassembly, said plunger assembly comprising a rigid frame means, a vertically movable center post, means supported on said frame means to move said center post vertically and quietly, and side posts, one side post on each side of said vertically movable center post, the bottom end of said center post and said side posts attached to horizontal and longitudinally extending tamper plate and flexible tension means connected from the bottom of each of said side posts to the top of the other side post, each said flexible tensioning means being at its bottom parallel to one of said side posts and adjacent thereto at the bottom end of said one post and at its top parallel to and adjacent to the top of the other side post, whereby to equalize vertical movement at the bottom end of each end of said tamping plate,
- (b) said pallet comprising an imperforate water-impermeable transversely grooved thin corrugated sheet and a plurality of parallel longitudinally extending like runners, each runner composed of a two like vertically extending outwardly sloped side walls and a bottom flat smooth horizontal sheet, the side walls firmly yet resiliently joined at corners along the total length of their bottom edges to the total length of the left edge and right edges, respectively, of the bottom sheet and extending upwardly therefrom, and said sheet is firmly connected to the top of said side walls at regularly longitudinally spaced apart points,
- (c) said tilt bed transport means comprising a winch and a bed, said winch attached to said bed, said bed having a length at least the length of said pallet, and
- (d) the minimum radius of curvature on the bottom of said mass of cotton on said pallet moved onto the said bed is at least as great as the height of said mass of compressed seed cotton on said bed measured transversely to the horizontal surface covered by the edges of said bed.
- 2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the sheet is an imperforate sheet with a plurality of like, parallel transversely extending upwardly convex grooves and downwardly convex portions thereon and the bottoms of said upwardly convex portions contact said runners and the top of each of the runners is firmly joined to the bottom of said sheet at portions of such sheet that are spaced apart from each other by greater distances than the points of contact of said sheet and said runners and wherein the height of said sheet varies in periodic and uniform continuous manner from lowest points to highest points, and intermediate portions of the sheet extend vertically therebetween and are continuous therewith and provide support for said horizontally extending portions and said points of firm connection of the side walls on each runner to the bottom surface of said sheet are abreast of each other and points of attachment of all the runners to the bottom surface of sheet are also abreast of each other.
- 3. A mobile press assembly comprising a plunger subassembly and a container subassembly, said container subassembly comprising a plurality of vertically extending side walls, an end wall and a movable wall with a container chamber therebetween, said plunger assembly comprising a vertically movable tamping subassembly, said plunger assembly comprising a rigid frame means, a vertically movable center post, means supported on said frame means to move said center post vertically and quietly, and side posts, one side post on each side of said vertically movable center post, the bottom end of said center post and said side posts attached to horizontal and longitudinally extending tamper plate and flexible tension means connected from the bottom of each of said side posts to the top of the other side post, each said flexible tensioning means being at its bottom parallel to one of said side posts and adjacent thereto at the bottom end of said one post and at its top parallel to and adjacent to the top of the other side post, whereby to equalize vertical movement at the bottom end of each end of said tamping plate.
- 4. A preginning apparatus for treating field harvested cotton comprising, in operative combination, a feed support, a dispersing assembly, and a transport assembly, said feed support comprising an elongated surface extending adjacent to said dispenser assembly and located on one side of the said dispersing assembly for support of a mass of cotton to be acted upon by said dispersing assembly, said transport means comprising a conveyor on the other side of said dispersing assembly and adapted to receive material acted upon by said dispersing assembly and located adjacent thereto, and wherein said dispersing assembly comprises a motor and a reel assembly, said reel assembly comprising a plurality of like reel subassemblies, each reel subassembly comprising a plurality of like reel units;
- each reel subassembly comprising a reel subassembly drive shaft and a plurality of like reel unit end plates in series thereon, each reel unit end plate being a rigid axially symmetrical plate firmly fixed to the reel subassembly drive shaft, the reel subassembly drive shaft passing through the axis of symmetry of each said axially symmetrical reel unit end plate,
- each reel unit comprising a portion of the reel subassembly drive shaft between two end plates, a plurality of tooth support rods parallel to said reel subassembly drive shaft and a plurality of teeth extending radially from each tooth support rod, each of said rods attached to said two end plates,
- each of said teeth comprising a rigid portion extending radially of said end plates of said reel unit and having a periphery that travels in a circular path about said reel subassembly drive shaft, and a resilient portion attached to said tooth supporting rod, said teeth equispacedly arrayed along one tooth supporting rod of each one reel unit and in differently equispaced arrays along other tooth supporting rods of said one reel unit,
- and wherein horizontally adjacent reel units of the same reel subassemblies have different rotative positions on the reel subassembly drive shaft and, in vertically adjacent reel units on different reel subassemblies, the terminal portions of the teeth are directed at oblique angles to each other, and
- drive means are operatively attached to each of the drive reel subassemblies with all the reel subassemblies rotating in the same direction, all terminal ends of the teeth moving upwards on said one side of said dispersing assembly.
- 5. Apparatus as in claim 4, wherein the teeth of each one reel unit of one reel subassembly travel in circles defining one cylindrical volume and the teeth of each vertically neighboring reel unit travel in circles defining another cylindrical volume, and said cylindrical volumes overlap.
- 6. System for handling and transporting and treating field harvested seed cotton, said system comprising a mobile press assembly, a pallet, a tilt bed transport means, and a preginning module treating apparatus,
- (a) said mobile press assembly comprising a plunger subassembly and a container subassembly, said container subassembly comprising a plurality of vertically extending side walls, an end wall and a movable wall with a container chamber therebetween, said pallet at the bottom of said chamber and a winch attached to said vertical end wall, said plunger assembly comprising a vertically movable tamping subassembly, said plunger assembly comprising a rigid frame means, a vertically movable center post, means supported on said frame means to move said center post vertically and quietly, and side posts, one side post on each side of said vertically movable center post, the bottom end of said center post and said side posts attached to horizontal and longitudinally extending tamper plate and flexible tension means connected from the bottom of each of said side posts to the top of the other side post, each said flexible tensioning means being at its bottom parallel to one of said side posts and adjacent thereto at the bottom end of said one post and at its top parallel to and adjacent to the top of the other side post, whereby to equalize vertical movement at the bottom end of each end of said tamping plate,
- (b) said pallet comprising an imperforate water-impermeable transversely grooved thin corrugated sheet and a plurality of parallel longitudinally extending like runners, each runner composed of a two like vertically extending outwardly sloped side walls and a bottom flat smooth horizontal sheet, the side walls firmly yet resiliently joined at corners along the total length of their bottom edges to the total length of the left edge and right edges, respectively, of the bottom sheet and extending upwardly therefrom, and said sheet is firmly connected to the top of said side walls at regularly longitudinally spaced apart points,
- (c) said tilt bed transport means comprising a winch and a bed, said winch attached to said bed, said trailer bed having a length at least the length of said pallet, and the
- (d) the minimum radium of curvature on the bottom of said mass of cotton on said pallet moved onto the said bed is at least as great as the height of said mass of compressed seed cotton on said bed measured transversely to the horizontal surface covered by the edges of said bed,
- (e) said preginning apparatus comprising, in operative combination, a feed support, a dispersing assembly, and a transport assembly, said feed support comprising an elongated surface extending adjacent to said dispenser assembly and located on one side of the said dispersing assembly for support of a mass of cotton to be acted upon by said dispersing assembly, said transport means comprising a conveyor on the other side of said dispersing assembly and adapted to receive material acted upon by said dispersing assembly and located adjacent thereto, and wherein said dispersing assembly comprises a motor and a reel assembly, said reel assembly comprising a plurality of like reel subassemblies, each reel subassembly comprising a plurality of like reel units;
- each reel subassembly comprising a reel subassembly drive shaft and a plurality of like reel unit end plates in series thereon, each reel unit end plate being a rigid axially symmetrical plate firmly fixed to the reel subassembly drive shaft, the reel subassembly drive shaft passing through the axis of symmetry of each said axially symmetrical reel unit end plate,
- each reel unit comprising a portion of the reel subassembly drive shaft between two end plates, a plurality of tooth support rods parallel to said reel subassembly drive shaft and a plurality of teeth extending radially from each tooth support rod, each of said rods attached to said two end plates,
- each of said teeth comprising a rigid portion extending radially of said end plates of said reel unit and having a periphery that travels in a circular path about said reel subassembly drive shaft, and a resilient portion attached to said tooth supporting rod, said teeth equispacedly arrayed along one tooth supporting rod of each one reel unit and in differently equispaced arrays along other tooth supporting rods of said one reel unit,
- and wherein horizontally adjacent reel units of the same reel subassemblies have different rotative positions on the reel subassembly drive shaft and, in vertically adjacent reel units on different reel subassemblies, the terminal portions of the teeth are directed at oblique angles to each other, and drive means are operatively attached to each of the drive reel subassemblies with all the reel subassemblies rotating in the same direction, all terminal ends of the teeth moving upwards on said one side of said dispersing assembly.
- 7. A cotton disrupter assembly for preginning a longitudinally continuous elongated compacted mass of field harvested seed cotton deposited as a field-compressed cotton module of elongated rectangular shape on a horizontal support surface for relative movement of the cotton disrupter assembly longitudinally with respect to and through the elongated cotton mass along a rectilinear longitudinal feed path causing the disrupter assembly to pass lengthwise through the cotton mass to disrupt and extract the seed cotton therefrom in a condition suitable for conveyance through a cotton gin processing line, said cotton disrupter assembly comprising a reel assembly and drive motor therefor;
- said reel assembly comprising an array of plural disrupter reel units arranged in plural axially aligned reel groups for rotation about a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal group axes arranged in a plane transverse to the feed path and inclining upwardly from the supporting surface and forwardly toward the nearest end face of the cotton mass, said array of disrupter reel units transversely and vertically spanning the cross-sectional width and height of the cotton mass;
- each disrupter reel group comprising a drive shaft and a plurality of reel end plates carried in series thereon, each reel end plate being a rigid axially symmetrical plate firmly fixed to the reel group drive shaft with the drive shaft passing through the axis of symmetry of each of the reel end plates;
- each reel unit comprising a portion of the reel group drive shaft between two end plates and a plurality of tooth support rods disposed parallel to the reel group drive shaft and attached to said two end plates and a plurality of teeth extending radially from each tooth support rod;
- each of said teeth comprising a rigid working end portion extending from the associated tooth support rod substantially radially of said end plates of the associated disrupter reel unit and having a periphery that travels in a circular path about said reel group drive shaft and each tooth having a resilient portion located adjacent the associated tooth support rod;
- the teeth being arrayed in equispaced relation along one tooth support rod of each one reel unit and in different equispaced arrays along other tooth support rods of said one reel unit and the horizontally adjacent disrupter reel units of the same reel group having different rotative positions on the reel group drive shaft and, in vertically adjacent reel units of different reel groups, the working end portions of the teeth being directed at oblique angles to each other;
- and drive means operatively coupled to each of the drive reel groups with all the reel groups rotating in the same direction and all working ends of the teeth moving upwards on one side of the disrupter assembly.
- 8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the teeth of each one disrupter reel unit of one reel group travel in circles defining one cylindrical volume and the teeth of each vertically neighboring disrupter reel unit travel in circles defining another cylindrical volume, and said cylindrical volumes overlap.
- 9. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said teeth are each formed of a wire-like slender resilient steel rod having a circular loop formed in an intermediate portion of the wire-like rod positioned in encircling relation to the tooth support rod therefor with an anchored end portion of the wire-like rod extending toward the associated reel group drive shaft and held against movement at the end of the anchored end portion to form said rigid portion and the opposite end portion of the wire-like rod extends substantially radially outwardly beyond the periphery of the associated end plates and forms said working end portion of the teeth.
- 10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the teeth of each reel unit are arranged in plural rows and said reel units include rigid flat radial plates spanning the axial length of the associated reel unit at circumferentially spaced locations in alternation with rows of said teeth.
- 11. A cotton disrupter assembly as defined in claim 7, including a housing forming a hood-like shroud having side and top and rear walls extending laterally about and over and rearwardly of the array of disrupter reels, the side walls forming a pair of transversely spaced substantially vertical side walls having bearings in said side walls journaling said reel group drive shafts for rotation therein, the housing being shaped to provide a forwardly opening chamber in front of the array of disrupter reel units for receiving the adjacent end portion of the cotton mass therein for engagement of the adjacent end face of the cotton mass by the disrupter reels and having a space rearwardly of the array of disrupter reel units closed rearwardly by the rear wall of the housing for receiving the disrupted cotton extracted from the compacted mass by the teeth of the disrupter reel units and discharged into said rearward space, and conveyor belt means extending transversely of the housing in the lower region of the rear space for receiving the disrupted cotton and transporting the same laterally through a discharge passage therefor in one side wall of the housing.
- 12. A cotton disrupter assembly as defined in claim 9, including a housing forming a hood-like shroud having side and top and rear walls extending laterally about and over and rearwardly of the array of disrupter reels, the side walls forming a pair of transversely spaced substantially vertical side walls having bearings in said side walls journaling said reel group drive shafts for rotation therein, the housing being shaped to provide a forwardly opening chamber in front of the array of disrupter reel units for receiving the adjacent end portion of the cotton mass therein for engagement of the adjacent end face of the cotton mass by the disrupter reels and having a space rearwardly of the array of disrupter reel units closed rearwardly by the rear wall of the housing for receiving the disrupted cotton extracted from the compacted mass by the teeth of the disrupter reel units and discharged into said rearward space, and conveyor belt means extending transversely of the housing in the lower region of the rear space for receiving the disrupted cotton and transporting the same laterally through a discharge passage therefor in one side wall of the housing.
- 13. A cotton disrupter assembly as defined in claim 10, including a housing forming a hood-like shroud having side and top and rear walls extending laterally about and over and rearwardly of the array of disrupter reels, the side walls forming a pair of transversely spaced substantially vertical side walls having bearings in said side walls journaling said reel group drive shafts for rotation therein, the housing being shaped to provide a forwardly opening chamber in front of the array of disrupter reel units for receiving the adjacent end portion of the cotton mass therein for engagement of the adjacent end face of the cotton mass by the disrupter reels and having a space rearwardly of the array of disrupter reel units closed rearwardly by the rear wall of the housing for receiving the disrupted cotton extracted from the compacted mass by the teeth of the disrupter reel units and discharged into said rearward space, and conveyor belt means extending transversely of the housing in the lower region of the rear space for receiving the disrupted cotton and transporting the same laterally through a discharge passage therefor in one side wall of the housing.
- 14. A cotton disrupter reel unit for use in plural axially aligned groups of such reel units arranged in an array vertically and transversely spanning the cross-sectional width and height of a compacted block-like mass of field harvested seed cotton to disrupt and extract the seed cotton from a confronting end space of the cotton mass, each reel unit comprising a central drive shaft extending through the reel unit and adjacent axially aligned-like reel units and a pair of reel end plates in the form of rigid plates firmly fixed to the drive shaft in planes perpendicular to the drive shaft axis with the drive shaft passing through the centers of the end plates, a plurality of tooth support rods disposed parallel to the drive shaft at circumferentially spaced positions and attached to said end plates, a plurality of teeth extending radially from each tooth support rod, each of said teeth being formed on an elongated slender resilient steel rod having a circular loop formed in an intermediate portion of the steel rod positioned in encircling relation to the tooth support rod therefor and having a working end portion extending from the associated tooth support rod substantially radially of said end plates to a position radially outwardly of the perimeter of the end plates and having an anchored end portion extending from the associated tooth support rod toward the drive shaft, the circular loop portion of each tooth forming rod forming a resilient portion for accommodating resilient flexing of the tooth in the portion adjacent the tooth support rod, and the reel unit including plural rigid flat anchor plates for the anchored end portions of the teeth extending radially from the drive shaft and joined thereto and axially spanning the axial length of the reel unit between the end plates, said anchor plates being disposed at circumferentially spaced locations in alternation with respect to rows of said teeth and having openings therein sized to receive and anchor ends of the anchored end portions of the tooth forming rods.
- 15. A cotton disrupter reel unit as defined in claim 14, wherein said anchor plates extend radially from said drive shaft to a position closely adjacent the perimeters of said end plates, the openings in said anchor plates for the anchored end portions of the tooth forming rods extending transversely through the anchor plates in intermediate portions thereof between the inner and outer edges of the anchor plates and the anchored end portions of the tooth forming rods extending through the anchoring openings along axes lying in a plane inclined to the principal plane of the associated anchor plate.
- 16. A cotton disrupter reel unit as defined in claim 14, wherein said anchor plates extend radially from the drive shaft along diammetric planes intersecting said tooth support rod and extend only a portion of the radial distance to the tooth support rods, the anchor plates having said openings for the anchored end portions of the tooth forming rods located in the outermost edges thereof facing radially outwardly of the reel unit, the anchored end portions of the tooth forming rods having their ends seated in said openings of the anchor plates and being arranged in planes inclined at a small angle to the axes of the working end portions of said rods.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a division of my co-pending application Ser. No. 568,004, filed Apr. 14, 1975, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,003, entitled FIELD TO GIN COTTON HANDLING AND STORAGE SYSTEMS, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of both my patent application Ser. No. 513,145 filed Oct. 8, 1974, now abandoned, and my patent application Ser. No. 428,384 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,049 issued on Apr. 22, 1975.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
2709281 |
Sofio |
May 1955 |
|
3749003 |
Wilkes et al. |
Jul 1973 |
|
3897018 |
Wilkes et al. |
Jul 1975 |
|
Related Publications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
428384 |
Apr 1975 |
|
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
568004 |
Apr 1975 |
|
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
513145 |
Oct 1974 |
|