Abstract: A method for marking the ground adjacent to a motor vehicle includes the steps of observing an event exterior to the motor vehicle, remotely activating a ground marking device connected with the motor vehicle, and marking the ground exterior to and below the motor vehicle with the ground marking device. Remotely activating the ground marking device can include engaging an electronic switch while a person is within the motor vehicle.

Abstract: An adjustable height water drinking fountain includes a generally horizontal water drinking fountain body having front and rear ends, and an upper surface containing a water collecting basin. The fountain body is pivotally connected at its rear end with a vertical support for pivotal movement about a horizontal pivot axis. A normally closed water supply valve is operable to supply water to a faucet adjacent the basin via a supply conduit, and a drain pipe serves to remove water from the basin. Each of the water supply and drain conduits includes at least one flexible portion to permit the pivotal movement of the fountain body, whereby the fountain body can be pivoted upwardly of downwardly from a normal horizontal position for use by a standing person or by a person seated in a wheel chair.

Abstract: An adjustable height water drinking fountain includes a generally horizontal water drinking fountain body having front and rear ends, and an upper surface containing a water collecting basin. The fountain body is pivotally connected at its rear end with a vertical support for pivotal movement about a horizontal pivot axis. A normally closed water supply valve is operable to supply water to a faucet adjacent the basin via a supply conduit, and a drain pipe serves to remove water from the basin. Each of the water supply and drain conduits includes at least one flexible portion to permit the pivotal movement of the fountain body, whereby the fountain body can be pivoted upwardly of downwardly from a normal horizontal position for use by a standing person or by a person seated in a wheel chair.

Abstract: A multiple slot jet cleaner for removing the small particles of foreign matter that remains with cotton lint after separating the cotton from the seeds and larger foreign matter. The multiple slot jet cleaner uses a series of slots in the wall of a curved conduit used for transporting air having a mixture of cotton and trash. Additional air enters the conduit through the first slot at one of the curves and a portion of the trash exits out the slot due to the turbulence created by the entering air and the effect of the curved conduit. After the slot, some or all of the additional air is removed from the conduit through a discharge opening and then conveyed to a fan where it is delivered to other slots for injection into the conduit to repeat the process for the first slot. In this manner, the operator of the jet cleaner can obtain the benefits of the increased injection of air without the problems associated with handling that air in equipment downstream of the jet cleaner.

Abstract: A tube density separator and method for use in a cotton gin to separate cotton from a pneumatically conveyed mixture of cotton and foreign materials has a generally vertical tube for receiving the mixture and separating out the foreign material from the cotton. The bottom of the tube is larger than the outlet of the pipe transporting the mixture so the velocity of the flow will be reduced and turbulence created. This action causes the heavier foreign matter to separate from and drop out of the cotton/foreign matter mixture. One or more dispersal rods are placed inside the tube to interact with the flow of material up the tube. The dispersal rods further break apart the clumps and wads of cotton and foreign matter to facilitate the separation action. The separated out foreign matter is collected at the inlet area of the tube. A supply of air, which can be skimmed from the air flow up the tube, conveys away the foreign matter from the tube.

Abstract: A column of fast moving air with entrained seed cotton is jetted upward from a nozzle in the bottom of a fountain dryer. The column will remain intact until it hits the top of the fountain dryer. At the top, the column will disburse and the mixture of air with entrained cotton will return to the bottom of the dryer in an annulus between the column and the wall of the dryer. There will be an interface of the upward column with the downward annulus. The opposing flows will be roiled and cause turbulence at the interface between the upward column and the downward annulus. The rolling and turbulence will be increased along the walls of the vessel by structure which will reverse the direction of the downward flow of the cotton. The downward flow of the cotton is collected in an annular plenum surrounding the bottom of the column and is directed to an outlet duct. The outlet duct and the annular plenum with the inlet at the center thereof, form a banjo separator.

Abstract: The housing of a cotton gin lint condenser is divided into four segments, namely: the lint inlet segment, the moist air inlet segment, the doffing chamber segment, and the dry air inlet segment. In operation, as the drum rotates a cotton batt is formed in the lint inlet segment. The batt is rotated to the humid air inlet segment where moisture is added to the batt by passing warm humid air through the batt. The moisturized batt is then rotated to the doffing chamber segment where the batt is doffed from the drum. The drum is then rotated to the dry air segment where dry air removes the moisture from the drum. The warm moist air moves beneath the lint slide to warm the lint slide surface to maintain it in a dry condition so that the lint does not stick thereto. Compression rollers are contained within the doffing chamber segment. The compression rollers have about the same diameter as the doffing rollers to prevent excessive lint from sticking to them.

Abstract: An apparatus for transporting fluids from a reservoir or source to a remote point of use wherein a multiple-chambered slave unit, when hydraulically actuated through a single conduit communicating with a distant master pressure-generating unit, will upon relief of the actuating pressure, contribute to the conduit, fluid aspirated from the source in addition to the original volume of actuating fluid.

Abstract: A tower dryer for seed cotton includes vertically spaced horizontal shelves which alternately extend from opposite ends of the tower dryer to form a zig-zag path. At least some of the shelves have hollow interiors which are supplied with heated air by two ducts at opposed positions across the hollow interior, thereby creating turbulent airflow within the hollow interior.

Abstract: The lint from the roller gin stand is divided into two streams and a small portion is recirculated through the feeding equipment so that the lint to seed ratio is increased at the roller gin. The pre-gin equipment acts to distribute and break up not only wads of cotton but also individual locks of cotton into smaller components called individual seed locks. Some seed will be completely separated from lint in this process. This process of preparation of the seed cotton for the ginning will actually partially pre-gin the cotton. It is accomplished by wiping the cotton by spiked rollers over concave segments some of which have projecting bars from them. The cotton is pulled or diverted over separation ridges which project between the rollers.

Abstract: A condensate control apparatus for receiving drum type condenser units utilized in cotton ginning which eliminates moisture buildup on predetermined metal surfaces within the condenser unit by heating such surfaces with heated dry air emanating from a heat source and conducted to such surfaces through a series of heating ducts. The condensate control apparatus also compacts the cotton gin fiber collected by such condensers into batts wherein the compacting force utilized in combination with moisturized air integrated within the cotton is sufficient to overcome the cottons inherent resiliency thereby permanently reducing the volume per unit weight of such cotton batts.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for accelerating the removal of fully ginned seed from a seed roll established in the roll box of an operating gin stand, whereby the capacity of the stand is enhanced. The apparatus is characterized by a set of vanes attached to a finger shaft, said finger shaft being rotatable to change the angle of projection of the vanes to control the residual lint on the seed. The vanes are located so as to project into a vertical seed discharge shaft as the seed roll sags in its rotation toward the saws. The vanes are spaced to permit the seed roll to rupture as it passes over the vanes and the roll sags into the gap between the vanes, thus releasing fully ginned seed into the seed discharge shaft outside the surface of the saw between the vanes.

Abstract: In a feeder for a roller gin, locks of seed cotton are pressed against a flexible knobby roller having pockets. Each pocket holds only one seed, thus spacing the seed one from another. A doffing roller adjacent the knobby roller travels at least twice as fast as the knobby roller. This lint and the seed of the cotton are pulled over at transfer edge between the knobby and doffing roller, thereby breaking the locks of seed cotton into individual seed locks which are spaced apart. Thus, the cotton is combed and smoothed and formed into a batt of a single layer of seed locks.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for accelerating removal of fully ginned seeds from a seed roll established in the roll box of an operating gin stand, whereby the ginning capacity of the stand is enhanced. The apparatus is characterized by improved ginning ribs interposed between saw blades of reduced spacing and characterized by a vertically oriented tail section for directing ginned seeds downwardly between the blades, and a seed extraction tube adapted to extend axially through a seed roll as it is established, said seed extraction tube being characterized by a plurality of apertures for accepting fully ginned seeds, and a conveyor for axially discharging the fully ginned seeds from the tube.

Abstract: A roller cotton gin including a ginning roller and a stationary knife to which seed cotton is conveyed by the friction surface of the ginning roller for separating lint fibers from the cotton seed, and a rotary stripping blade device adjacent the stationary knife having blades forming channel-like pockets therebetween for receiving the seed cotton deposited on the surface of the ginning roller and advanced to the zone of the stationary knife.

Abstract: A seed cotton drying system of the parallel flow tower type, having vertically spaced horizontal shelves alternately extending from opposite sides of the tower to locations near but spaced from the opposite side to define a continuing zig zag cotton flow path from the top of the bottom through which the cotton travels impelled by the conveying heated air. The spacing of the shelves increases from the top to the bottom, and fresh hot air is introduced between the shelves where there is an increase in shelf spacing.

Abstract: A cotton condenser for receiving air borne lint cotton or similar material from an air stream and forming a bat therefrom on a screen drum for delivery to a packaging press, wherein the condenser housing forms a chamber outwardly surrounding the screen drum maintained at subatmospheric pressure for receiving the air borne lint where the lint forms the bat on the screen. A doffing roller system withdraws the cotton bat from the screen and passes it to a lint slide and packaging press through a further set of doffing rollers which act as a seal against the pressure difference between the interior and exterior of the condenser where the bat exits from the condenser. Means are provided to monitor the moisture level of the cotton bat being delivered by the condenser and activate a humidifying system to supply air of controlled humidity to the condenser chamber and through the bat on the screen to raise the lint moisture to a desired level.

Abstract: A roller cotton gin including a ginning roller and a stationary knife to which seed cotton is conveyed by the friction surface of the ginning roller for separating lint fibers from the cotton seed, and a rotary stripping blade device adjacent the stationary knife formed from a square cross section bar having V-shaped grooves axially spanning each face adjacent the corners providing blade formations for advancing the seed cotton deposited on the surface of the ginning roller to the zone of the stationary knife.