Automatic Lock for Cotton Gins Page: 2 of 3
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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE
WILLIAM MARION HENSON, OF SAVOY, TEXAS.
-. .AUTOMATIC .LOCK. FOR COTTON-GINS.Specification of Letters Patent.
Patented Feb. 5,1918.
Application filed March 6, 1917. Serial No. 152,858.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, WILLIAM MARION
HENSON, a citizen of the United States, re-
siding at Savoy, in the county of Fannin and
5 State of Texas, have invented a new and use-
ful Automatic Lock for Cotton-Gins, of
which the following is a specification.
This invention has reference to automatic
locks for cotton gins, and its object is to
10 provide means whereby on raising the gin-
stand breast it is automatically locked in the
raised position, and accidents which fre-
quently happen because of the falling of the
gin stand breast are avoided.
15 It frequently happens in cotton gins that
obstructing matters pass through with the
cotton seed and it becomes necessary for the
operator to raise the breast and place his
hands within the same to remove such ob-
20 structions, this act being performed without
stopping the operation of the machine.
Should the breast accidentally fall while
the operator has his hands beneath the breast
to remove obstructions, injuries are caused to
25 the operator, which injuries are frequently
of so serious a nature as to result in the loss
of one or both hands, or one or both arms.
Injuries of such character and from such
cause are the most frequent in the operation
3o of cotton gins, and represent perhaps nine-
tenths or more of all injuries which occur in
the operation of cotton gins.
To raise the breast from its normal oper-
ative position to an extent to lift the grate
35 away from the saws, there is provided a rock
shaft engaging the breast, which is hinged,
and this rock shaft has an operating handle
exterior to the gin.
The invention provides an automatic latch
40 having a constant tendency toward'the latch-
ing position, but yieldable to the -movement
of the operating lever-in a direction to lift
the breast. As soon as the proper elevation
is reached the latch snaps into the path of
45 the lever and holds the latter against return
movement, so that an operator may clean the
grate of obstructions without fear or liabil-
ity of injury. When, however, the gin is
freed from the obstruction the operator may
50 move the latch to the released position,
whereupon the parts will gravitate into op-
erative relation.
The invention will be best understood from
a consideration of the following detailed de-
55 scription, taken in connection with the ac-
companying drawings forming part of thisspecification, with the further understanding
that while the drawings show a practical
form of the invention, the latter is not con-
fined to any strict conformity with the show- 60
ing of the drawings, but may be changed
and modified so long as such changes and
modifications come within the scope of the
appended claims.
In the drawings :- 65
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a. portion
of a cotton gin stand showing the invention
applied and with the breast raised.
Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the structure
shown in Fig. 1. 70
Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig.
1; but drawn on a larger scale.
Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig.
1 but drawn on the scale of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 75
1 but drawn on a larger scale.
-Referring to the drawings there is shown
a portion of a cotton gin stand 1 which.
being of known construction, needs no par-
ticular description. The stand is provided 8o
with the usual breast 2 having a grate 3 in
operative relation to gin saws 4 and having
a. hinge connection 5 so located that the
breast may be rocked on the hinge to move
the grate 3 away from a position where the 85
saws project through it to a position where
the saws are back of the grate, and hence not
liable to do injury to the hands of an oper-
ator introduced into the breast structure for
removing obstructions therefrom. 90
Mounted in journal bearings 6 upon a
cross bar 7 and upon one of the side posts
-of the gin is a rock shaft 9 terminating at
one end in an angle arm 10 and at the other
end in an operating handle 11, both of which 95
may be in one piece with the shaft 9 or may
be separately made therefrom and secured
thereto. The atm 10 terminates in a finger
portion 12 which may be rounded to engage
against a wear plate 13a on what constitutes 100
the under surface of a bar 143 extending
across the lower end of the breast and sus-
taining the lower end of the grate 3, the
breast hanging in a generally pendent posi-
tion from the hinge means 5. 105
When the shaft 9 is rocked in one direction
the arm 10 is so moved that the finger 12 is
out of the path of the bar 14a and the breast
gravitates to its normal position in which the
saws 4 project through the slots of the grate 110
3. When the shaft 9 is rocked in the other
direction the finger 12, which is located1,255,746.
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Henson, William Marion. Automatic Lock for Cotton Gins, patent, February 5, 1918; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1256626/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.