Mine ventilation line curtain extender

Abstract

A supporting structure by which the line curtain in a mine ventilation system can be extended in a cantilevered fashion from the last permanent roof support adjacent the working face of the mine so that the free edge of the extended line curtain will be adjacent the working face of the mine to assure that the face area where the mining is being done will be kept properly ventilated and free of dangerous gases and the like. In one embodiment of the invention which is especially adapted for use when mining high coal where the seam height is above 7 feet, an elongated extendible curtain support is pivotally supported from the last permanent roof support or roof bolt and is provided with a counterbalance weight projecting in a direction opposite to the curtain support with a drawstring structure being provided for extending the curtain support and thus the line curtain supported therefrom with the counterbalancing structure and the extending structure being accessible from an area adjacent the last mine roof bolt or permanent roof support. In another embodiment of the invention used when mining low coal where the seam height is from 3 to 7 feet, a leverage handle is provided to apply downward pressure on the curtain support on the side of the last roof bolt or permanent support opposite to the extendible curtain support thereby retaining the extendible curtain support adjacent the mine roof and supporting the line curtain extension in vertical position with the free edge thereof extending to a point adjacent the face area of the mine. In both embodiments of the line curtain extender, the operator of the mining machine controls is not hindered or blinded by the line curtain extension with the line curtain extension insuring movement of ventilating air past and around the mining machine, across the face area and around the free edge of the line curtain extension.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.