Incline belt conveyor with longitudinal belt guards and methods of preventing seed entering between the belt and a curvilinear structure
AssigneeKSi Conveyor, Inc.
InventorsJason P. Kaeb, Paul A. Kaeb, Matthew J. Edelman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An agricultural incline conveyor having belt guards extending longitudinally through a curvilinear portion from a tail inlet to a head outlet. The belt guards protect linear edges of a belt within the curvilinear portion during mixing operations. A plurality of mixing baffles positioned within the curvilinear portion induce turbulent backflow of a metered stream of seed being transported through the curvilinear portion. The longitudinal guards prevent the loss of transported seed from entering between the belt and a trough of the curvilinear portion.
Claims16
An agricultural incline conveyor comprising:
- a. a curvilinear structure comprising:
- i. a sidewall;
- b. a belt partially in contact with and conformed to the curvilinear structure and comprising:
- i. a first linear belt edge;
- and
- c. a first longitudinal guard attached to the sidewall, wherein the first longitudinal guard overlaps the first linear belt edge and extends along the sidewall longitudinally through the agricultural incline conveyor from a tail inlet to a head outlet, and a carrying surface of the first linear belt edge is parallel to a vertical plane defined by the sidewall and in contact with an outside surface of the first longitudinal guard.
A method of protecting seed during mixing within an agricultural incline conveyor comprising the steps of:
- a. transporting seed at an incline through the agricultural incline conveyor comprising a belt partially in contact with and conformed to a curvilinear structure;
- b. inducing a turbulent backflow of seed within the curvilinear structure with a plurality of mixing baffles;
- and
- c. preventing the turbulent backflow of seed from entering between the belt and a sidewall of the curvilinear structure with a first longitudinal guard attached to the sidewall, wherein the first longitudinal guard overlaps a first linear belt edge and extends along the sidewall longitudinally through the agricultural incline conveyor from a tail inlet to a head outlet, and a carrying surface of the first linear belt edge is parallel to a vertical plane defined by the sidewall and in contact with an outside surface of the first longitudinal guard.
A method for protecting against cross contamination of seed within an agricultural incline conveyor comprising the steps of:
- a. transporting a seed within a curvilinear structure of the agricultural incline conveyor;
- b. preventing the seed from entering between a belt and a sidewall of the curvilinear structure with a first longitudinal guard attached to the sidewall, wherein a first linear belt edge is disposed within a gap between the first longitudinal guard and the curvilinear structure, and a carrying surface of the first linear belt edge is parallel to a vertical plane defined by the sidewall and in contact with an outside surface of the first longitudinal guard;
- and
- c. providing complete cleanout of the seed to prevent cross contamination during a subsequent material transport.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.