The Dow Chemical Company

John W Lewis

Gaylon L Dighton

The invention is a machine and method for opening a filled bag and emptying the contents of the bag. A bag filled with a solid material is guided into a space between a pair of rotating drums, in which there are several rows of rigid spikes fastened to each drum. The spikes extend through the drum walls and through openings in a belt that connects each drum to an idler roller. When the filled bag enters the space between the drums, it becomes impaled on the spikes, and is drawn into a cutter means. The cutter means slits the bag in half to empty the contents, and each empty bag half is carried on one of the rotating drums to a point where the spikes move away from the belt to release the empty bag half.

Machine and method for opening a filled bag, emptying the bag, and

An indicator device is disclosed that is useful for measuring the level of a material stored in a tank. The device includes a stationary tubular section that fastens into the top wall of the tank. One or more tubular sections of smaller diameter are made to slide inside the stationary section to form a telescoping unit. The smallest tubular section has a foot member at its bottom end and a cable fastened to its upper end. The cable passes over a sheave and is wound onto a winch operated by a motor. In operation, the winch lowers the smallest tubular section into the tank until the foot member contacts the material in the tank and compresses the material enough to stop the downward movement of the tubular section. The winch is then reversed to bring the tubular section back to its 'up' position. The sheave operates a counting and recording device that records the total distance traveled by the cable, and this distance indicates the level of material in the tank.

Device for measuring the level of a material stored in a tank

An electrical switch comprising a base member; an electrical conducting contact member; a means in cooperative combination with the base member and the electrical contact member adapted to move the contact member outwardly from the base member toward an electrical bus member. The switch further includes a releasable clamping means in cooperative combination with the base member and the electrical contact member adapted to clamp the bus member and the electrical contact member together with a sufficient force to permit flow of electrical current between the bus member and the electrical contact member.

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Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America

John W Lewis