Device for applying insecticides to mill elevators

June 19, 1934. w. ?. mitchell 1,963,501

DEVICE FOR APPLYING INSECTICIDES TO MILL ELEVATORS

Filed May 27, 1933

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Attorneys.

Patented June 19, 1934

1,963,501

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

1,963,501

DEVICE FOR APPLYING INSECTICIDES TO MILL ELEVATORS

William P. Mitchell, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application May 27, 1933, Serial No. 673,160 9 Claims. (Cl. 299—20)

This invention relates to means for applying an insecticide to elevators in flour mills and the like. Considerable difficulty is encountered in these elevators in that they become clogged with webs 5 resulting from the invasion of moths. If an insecticide can be applied to the interior of these elevators continuously, then the moths will not enter the elevators or if they do, they will be repelled or killed before webs are produced.

It is a primary object of my invention to provide a device extremely simple in form which may be applied without difficulty to the elevator. A further important advantage of my invention is that the insecticide may be utilized in the crystal15 line or dry state rather than a solution. A still further important advantage, of my invention is that the rate of evaporation of the insecticide employed may be controlled in accordance with the conditions encountered and that the insecti20 cide container may be readily removed for inspection.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of one par25 ticular form of my invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which ·

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section through a leg of an elevator with a device embodying my invention applied thereto, on a reduced scale;

Fig. 2, a central vertical fragmentary section through a device embodying my invention;

Fig. 3, a top plan view;

Fig. 4, a bottom plan view;

Fig. 5, a horizontal transverse section on the 35 line 5—5^!in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 6, a modified form of the invention in fragmentary side elevation employing a forced draft.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in the drawing.

I form an upper body portion 10 here shown as having an inverted cup shape open from the under side and having a mounting ear 11 extending vertically upward from the side wall. Near the top end of the body and from the side thereof extends a short nipple 12 providing the sole outlet from the upper part of the body. The leg 13 of the elevator, preferably that leg containing the ascending buckets 14, is bored through to provide a hole into which the nipple 12 is inserted 50 so as to provide a passage discharging into the leg 13 from the body 10 through the nipple 12. The location of this hole through the leg 13 is preferably immediately above the inflowing spout 15 so that as the buckets 14 travel upwardly past the opening in the nipple 12, there is created a flow of air upwardly in the leg tending to draw air from the body 10 through the nipple 12.

A lower body portion 16 is formed to have its upper open end telescope within the lower portion of the body 10 and to have pins 17 and 18 60 i extending laterally from the sides of the body portion or cup 16 to enter into the slots 19 and 20 respectively to be carried upwardly and therearound and down to rest on the lower end of the curved slots to form a bayonet type connection. 65 Both the upper and lower body portions 10 and: 16 respectively are preferably made out of metal although other materials may be employed, the essential feature being in this regard that the two body portions be substantial and unaffected 70 ; by insecticides to be employed.

Within the lower body portion 16 I fix a cylindrical receptacle 21 having a perforate wall, here shown as being woven wire screen. This receptacle 21 is secured to the bottom of the body 75 portion 16 and is left open at its top end. Spaced circumferentially around the receptacle 21 are a plurality of holes 22 through the base of the portion 16. I also form a metal sleeve 23 to telescope over the receptacle 21 from the upper end 8β thereof to permit the sleeve to be raised and lowered thereover and frictionally retained at any selected position. This sleeve 23 is also left open at the top end.

In employing the invention, the upper body 85 portion 10 is attached to the leg 13 as above indicated, this portion being more or less permanently maintained in position. The lower body portion or cup 16 is removed and the insecticide to be employed, preferably in crystalline form, is 90 dropped into the receptacle 21. The sleeve 23 is pushed down over the receptacle to leave a gap between its lower end and the base of the cup as indicated in Fig. 2, whereupon the cup 16 is retained to have its upper end telescope within 95 the body portion 10 and secured thereto by carrying the pins 17 and 18 around in the slots 19 and 20 as above indicated. Now when the buckets 14 are moving in the leg 13 and carrying the air therein along in the direction of the buckets, the 100 flow of air produced by that movement also sets up a current of air through the applied device, drawing air through the holes 22 up through the cup 16, the body 10 and through the nipple 12 into the leg 13. Some air of course will be drawn up 105 through the receptacle 21 through the openings remaining uncovered at the lower- end thereof to pass over the crystals within the receptacle and escape from the top carrying the vapors becoming volatilized from the crystals along with that 110

1,963,501 air and hence into the elevator leg. The amount passing through the receptacle is controlled by the position of the sleeve 23 on the receptacle, more air passing through the receptacle when 5 the sleeve is raised into some such position as indicated by dash lines, Fig. 2. When the elevator buckets 14 come to rest, there is very little or no air flow through the leg 13 and hence through the cup 16 and body 10 so that the insecticide is 10 automatically drawn from the device only when the elevators are in operation. By this operation, a considerable saving in the insecticide is effected. Of course a multiple number of the devices may be employed particularly where the elevator is 15 of great length.

Where there is not a sufficient current of air produced by movement of the buckets 14 in the elevator leg, it is then preferable to employ some means for creating a flow of air from the device 20 into the elevator leg such as I have indicated in Fig. 6 where the outlet spout 24 is carried from the top of the body portion 10 in place of the nipple 12 in the form above described. This spout 24 is provided with an air pressure tube 25 25 = entering therein to have a nozzle directed toward the outlet of the spout so that compressed air under slight pressure may be discharged within the spout to create an ejecting of the air from the body and cup 10 and 16 respectively so as to 30 cause a more positive flow of the insecticide into the elevator leg 13.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in the one form as now best known to me, it is obvious that structural changes may be 35 employed without departing from the spirit of the invention and I therefore do not desire to be limited to this precise form beyond the limitations as may be imposed by the following claims.