Modular auto-cleaning hopper assembly
AssigneeDimension Product Solutions LP
InventorsGeorge T. Cook, Burt Lusk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A modular hopper assembly is provided and includes a plurality of pre-fabricated upper hopper modular units, a plurality of pre-fabricated middle hopper modular units, a plurality of pre-fabricated lower hopper modular units and a plurality of support members configured as a base, where the upper hopper modular units, the middle hopper modular units and the lower hopper modular units are each assembled, and then the assembled upper hopper modular units, the assembled middle hopper modular units and the assembled lower hopper modular units are connected together to form a hopper, where the hopper is mounted on the base.
Claims16
A modular hopper assembly comprising:
- an upper hopper including two pre-fabricated upper hopper modular units that are attached together;
- a middle hopper including two pre-fabricated middle hopper modular units that are attached together, wherein the middle hopper is attached to the upper hopper;
- a lower hopper including two pre-fabricated lower hopper modular units that are attached together and attached to the middle hopper, wherein the two pre-fabricated lower hopper modular units each include at least two air supply devices that are spaced vertically from each other and extend along inner surfaces of the pre-fabricated lower hopper modular units transverse to a longitudinal axis of the lower hopper;
- and
- a plurality of support members configured as a base,
- wherein the upper hopper modular units, the middle hopper modular units and the lower hopper modular units are each assembled together to respectively form the upper hopper, the middle hopper and the lower hopper, and then the assembled upper hopper, the assembled middle hopper and the assembled lower hopper are connected together to form a hopper, and wherein the hopper is mounted on the base.
A method of assembling a modular hopper assembly at a site, the method comprising:
- assembling two pre-fabricated upper hopper modular units as an assembled upper hopper structure;
- assembling two pre-fabricated middle hopper modular units as an assembled middle hopper structure;
- assembling two pre-fabricated lower hopper modular units as an assembled lower hopper structure;
- assembling a plurality of support members as a base unit;
- and
- connecting the assembled upper hopper structure, the assembled middle hopper structure and the assembled lower hopper structure to form a hopper, and mounting the hopper on the base unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.