US2472387A - Drinking fountain - Google Patents

Description

June 7, 1949. C, G, SHEPHERD I 2,472,387

' DRINKING FOUNTAIN Filed July 24, 1946 l g Y l l l I A 1 ron/Vey.

Patented June 7, 1949 UNI T ED STAT E S PATENT OFFICE DRINKING, FOUNTAIN.v

Clarence G. Shepherd, Fontana, Calif;

ApplicationJuly 24, 1946, Serial No. 685,964

4 Glaims.

drawing, whichforms a part of this specification andin which:

Fig.'v 1.is.a,1ongitudinal section of my invention witl'rthedrinking receptaclen detached therefrom andthef water. supply valve. automatically closed.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section ofmy inventionI showing. thev water supply valve open and the drinkingv receptacle partly lled with water.

Fig. 3 is a` longitudinal section of my inventionishowing the drinking receptacle lled with water and the. water supply valve automatically.'

closed.

Fig. Li-isa longitudinal section of a modification of. my,r invention with thev drinking receptacle detached from the water-supply valve and said valve-.closed 5'.is,a longitudinal section of the modification of my invention shown in Fig. 4, with the watersupply valve openedgby the weight of the drinking, receptacle and water partly filling the same (not-shown).

Eig. 6 isalongitudinal section ofthe modicationgofmy, invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5, with the water-supply valve closed by the weight of thewater completelyfilling the drinking receptacle-` (not shown).

Referring more. particularly to the drawing, inrwhichl corresponding parts are designated by thesame reference numeralsin allof the figures, :ny-invention, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, includes a water-supply valve` I, a drinking receptacle. 2, and valve-opening means 3 for opening said valve until said drinking receptacle islcompletely. lled with water, the supply of which is automatically controlled by said valve.

The valve I is located in the upper end of a barrel14,.while the valve-opening means 3 is located partly in said barrel and partly in a screw plug 5 threaded in the lower end of said barrel, as at 6. The upper end of the barrel is formed with a hollow male coupling member 'I which. externally threaded, as at 8, which coupling` is screw. seated in ar threaded female coupling-of a waterpipe or hydrant (notshown). The valve I comprises a horizontal seat 9, formed in the upper end of the barrel 4, and a weighted valve-closing member I0 formed with an external horizontal base flange II, which rests upon said seat for closing said valve, there being an inverted conical valve spring I2, located in the hollow coupling member 1, with the upper end of said spring bearing against` a pin I3 driven through the upper end of said coupling member, and withthe lower end of said spring extending over the valve closing member Ii! against its base flange II and normally holding said valve closing member upon its seat 9 and the valve I closed.

The valve-opening m'eans 3 includes a depending weighted valve stem I4, formed on its lower end with a cam-engaging head I5, a spring plunger rod I6 formed with a cam I'I on its upper end and a hook I8 on its lower end, and a spring I9, surrounding said plunger, with the lower end of said spring extending into a central recess 20 and the upper end of the plug 5 and bearing against the lower end wall of said recess, and with the upper end of said spring bearing against a collar 2l on the upper portion of the plunger rod I6.

The dependingv valve stem I4 extends downwardly from the valve-closing member I0 Ithrough the opening22` surrounded by the valve seat 9, which opening is of suiiiciently larger diameter than the stem I4 to .permit said stem to be swung to one side at an angle, with one side or" the base ange II of the Valve-closing member I0 resting upon the seat 9, so that the opposite side of 'said base flange will be-raised abovesaid seat andthe valve I will be opened suiciently to permit water to pass downwardly from the coupling 'I through the seat opening 22 into` the barrel 4. The plunger rod I6 extends upwardly centrally into the barrel 4 through a central bore 23 and the recess 20 in the plug 5, said bore extending upwardly in said plug fromthe lower end thereof to the lower end of said recess 20. The plunger rod I6 is bent in serpentine form froma point immediately above the spring engaging collar 2|, forming first a depressed portion 24, then a raisedv portion, which is the cam I'I, above saiddepressed portion, and then a depressed portion 25,above said cam, which depressed portion terminates in an upward extension 26.

T he drinking receptacle 2 may be of semispherical form, anda suspension rod 2l is secured at the lower end Vin a boss 28 formed on the inner side of the bottom wall of said receptacle at the lowerrnost pointthereof, which rod extends upwardlyV through sad receptacle and is formed with a.y hook 29 onits upper. end above said receptacle, which hook engagesthe hook I8 onthe lower` end vof suspending said receptacle from the lower end of said plunger rod.

the plunger rod I6 for detachably The operation of my invention as above described is as follows:

With the drinking receptacle 2 detached from the plunger rod I6, by disengagement of the receptacle hook 29 from the plunger rod hook I8, said plunger rod is elevated to its uppermost position by the spring I9 engaging the collar 2I on said plunger rod, in which position of the plunger rod the valve stem cam-engaging head I5 rests within the depressed portion 24 of the plunger rod I6 below the cam Il and the Valve I is closed, with its base flange II resting upon the valve seat 9 and shutting off the supply of Water to the barrel 4, as shown in Fig. 1, from a pipe or hydrant, to which the coupling member 'I is coupled.

When the drinking receptacle 2 is attached to the lower end of the plunger rod I6, by engaging the receptacle hook 29 with the plunger rod hook i8, the weight of said receptacle draws the plunger rod i5 and the cam Il down against the tension of the spring i9 until the cam I'I engages the valve stem cam-engaging head I 5 and swings the valve stem I4 and valve closing member Il at an angle with one side of the base Iiange I I of said valve-closing member resting upon the valve seat 9 and the opposite side of said base flange raised above said seat and opening the valve I, whereupon water from the supply pipe or hydrant, to which the coupling 'I is coupled, enters said coupling and passes through the valve opening 22 into the barrel 4, and from said barrel the water pass-es through the recess 2l) and the bore 23 in the plug 5 and drops into the drinking receptacle 2, as shown in Fig. 2.

When the water dropped from the barrel 4 into the drinking receptacle lls said receptacle, the weight of said water-filled receptacle draws the plunger rod i6 down to its .lowermost position against the tension of the spring I9, whereupon the cam il passes below the valve-stem carnengaging head i5 and said head swings into the upper depressed portion 25 of the plunger rod I6, until the weighted valve stem I4 and the Valve closing member I9 assume their normal vertical position coaxial with the barrel 4, with the base flange i! of said valve closing member I resting completely upon the valve seat 9, thus closing the valve i and shutting oi the supply of water to the barrel 4 and from said barrel to the drinking receptacle as shown in Fig. 3.

When water in the drinking receptacle 2, as shown in Fig. 3, is drunk by poultry or domestic anirfifds down to a predetermined level in said receptacle, as iilustrated in Fig. 2 for example, the power of the spring I9 overcomes the weight of the receptacle 2 and the water therein, and said spring elevates the plunger rod I6 and said receptacle to a point where the cam I'I engages the Valve-stem cam-engaging head I and swings the valve stem i4 and the valve closing member I9 to an inclined position and opens the valve I, whereupon water passes from the coupling 1 through the Valve-seat opening 22 into the barrel 4, and from said barrel through the bore 23 around the plunger rod I6 into the drinking receptacle 2, until said receptacle is again filled and the valve I is closed as hereinbefore described, and the above described operation is automatically repeated to maintain a constant supply of fresh water in said drinking receptacle 2.

In the modification of my invention as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the construction is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, except that the plunger rod I6, spring I9, spring recess 20 and water-outlet bore 23 are located at one side of the valve-stem I4 and center of the barrel 4, and a cam 39, secured on the upper end of the plunger rod I6, is substituted for the cam Il and depressed portions 24 and 25 on the upper portion of said plunger rod, which cam 30 is engaged by the upper end of the spring I9. Said cam 30 is of substantially pear shape, converging upwardly and downwardly from its largest diameter, as indicated at 3 I, for engaging the valve stem head I5 and opening the valve I, as the plunger rod I6 is moved up or down, respectively, by the spring I9 and the weight of the drinking receptacle 2 and the water therein, for maintaining a constant supply of fresh water to said receptacle, in the manner hereinbefore described in the operation of my invention as shown in Figs. l to 3, inclusive.

I claim:

1. A drinking fountain including a barrel constructed and arranged to be connected to a source of water supply, a valve having a horizontal seat, a depending stem and a weight constituting an enlargement at the lower end of the stem and forming a cam-engaging head, a plunger rod formed with a hook on its lower end and a cam on its upper end, a spring engaging a part on said plunger rod, a drinking receptacle constructed with a hook for engaging said plunger-rod hook and suspending said receptacle from said plunger rod, the weight of said receptacle being such as to draw down said plunger rod against said spring to cause said cam to engage and tip said valve stem head and valve tol open said valve to admit water through said barrel to said drinking receptacle, until said receptacle is lled with water, and said spring being of such power to raise said plunger rod and drinking receptacle, when a predetermined amount of water is drunk from said filled receptacle, to cause said cam to engage said valve stem to open said valve and admit water through said barrel to fill said drinking receptacle.

2. A drinking fountain as characterized in claim 1 in which a spring normally maintains the valve upon its seat in closed position.

3. A drinking fountain as characterized in claim 1 in which a plug, provided with a Water outlet bore, is threaded in the lower end of the barrel, through which bore the plunger rod extends and water flows from the barrel into the drinking receptacle.

4. A drinking fountain as characterized in claim l, in which a plug is threaded in the lower end of the barrel, said barrel being provided with a recess and a water outlet bore leading from said recess, in which recess rests the lower end of the spring and through which recess and bore the plunger rod extends and water ilows from the barrel into the drinking receptacle.

CLARENCE G. SHEPHERD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 186,094 Allen Jan. 9, 1877 1,172,584 Conrad Feb. 22, 1916 2,336,120 Null Dec. 7, 1943

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