Chest-mounted spreader
AssigneeChapin Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorJames V. Dillon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A chest-mounted spreader system includes a hopper for receiving particulate material and a base assembly mounted to the hopper. The base assembly has a base unit having a base plate and rotatable shaft. An electric motor is coupled to the shaft to drive rotation of the shaft. An impeller is mounted on the shaft proximate the base plate. A shroud has a partial sidewall affixed to the base plate thereby defining an impeller cavity. The impeller cavity includes a discharge opening opposite the partial sidewall and the impeller is received within the impeller cavity. A shroud opening is in fluid communication with the hopper so that particulate matter passes from the hopper to the impeller. The electric motor is powered to rotate the shaft and the impeller to disperse the particulate matter through the discharge opening.
Claims10
A chest-mounted spreader system configured to disperse particulate material, the spreader system comprising:
- a) a hopper configured to receive the particulate material therein and defining a hopper outlet;
- and
- b) a base assembly adapted to mount said hopper thereon, said base assembly comprising:
- i) a base unit having a base plate having a top surface, a bottom surface and defining a spindle orifice therethrough;
- ii) an electric motor coupled to said bottom surface of said base plate, said electric motor including a spindle wherein said spindle passes through said spindle orifice;
- iii) a rotatable shaft, wherein a first end of said shaft extends into said hopper when said hopper is mounted on said plate and wherein a second end of said shaft engages said spindle;
- iv) an impeller mounted on said first end of said shaft and positioned proximate the top surface of said base plate;
- v) a shroud having a top plate defining a shroud opening therein and a partial sidewall, wherein said partial sidewall is affixed to said top surface of said base plate thereby defining an impeller cavity defined by said base plate, said top plate and said partial sidewall, wherein said impeller cavity includes a discharge opening opposite said partial sidewall, and wherein said impeller is received within said impeller cavity;
- vi) a gate opening located between said hopper outlet and said shroud, said gate opening proportioned to overlap said shroud opening, said gate opening defining one or more flow restriction orifices;
- and
- vii) a rotary gate mounted between said gate opening and said shroud opening defining one or more gate restriction openings therein, wherein said rotary gate is selectively positionable between a fully open position whereby said gate restriction openings fully coincide with said flow restriction orifices and a fully closed position whereby said gate restriction opening fully occludes said flow restriction orifices
- wherein said shroud opening is in fluid communication with said hopper outlet whereby said shroud is configured to pass the particulate matter from said hopper to said impeller while said electric motor is powered to thereby rotate said shaft and said impeller to disperse the particulate matter through said discharge opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.