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US 12,668,438 B2Granted
Drop-down device
AssigneeAltria Client Services LLC
InventorsDwight David Williams, Dremere Kevon Woods
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dosing apparatus includes a doser mechanism that discharges an index amount of a granular material based on drawing the granular material from an intake hopper. A drop-down device is coupled between the intake hopper and a supply hopper and enables enable a flow of the granular material from the supply hopper to the intake hopper through a conduit. The drop-down device restricts a flow rate of the flow of granular material through the conduit based on directing the flow around a slat extending into the conduit. The slat has an upper slat surface that is angled downwards at an inclination angle that may correspond to an angle of repose of the granular material.
Claims20
A dosing apparatus, comprising:
- an intake hopper that is configured to hold an amount of a granular material, the intake hopper configured to receive the granular material through an intake hopper inlet opening at a top end of the intake hopper;
- a doser mechanism coupled to the intake hopper, the doser mechanism including an auger conveyor extending into the intake hopper, the doser mechanism configured to discharge an index amount of the granular material based on operation of the auger conveyor to draw a portion of the granular material from the intake hopper;
- a supply hopper configured to hold a supply amount of the granular material, the supply hopper configured to supply the granular material through a supply hopper outlet opening at a bottom end of the supply hopper;
- and
- a drop-down device coupled between the supply hopper and the intake hopper, the drop-down device including a conduit structure configured to define a conduit extending along a central longitudinal axis in flow communication between the supply hopper outlet opening and the intake hopper inlet opening to enable a flow of the granular material from the supply hopper to the intake hopper through the conduit,
- wherein the drop-down device is configured to restrict a flow rate of the flow of granular material through the conduit based on directing the flow of the granular material around a slat extending into the conduit, the slat having an upper slat surface that is angled downwards from a first end that is proximate to an inner surface of the conduit structure to a second end that is distal to the inner surface at an inclination angle, the inclination angle corresponds to an angle of repose of the granular material.
3 more elements
A dosing apparatus, comprising:
- a doser mechanism including a cylindrical shell and an auger conveyor, the cylindrical shell having a doser inlet opening and a doser outlet opening, the auger conveyor extending through the cylindrical shell and further extending through the doser inlet opening;
- an intake hopper, the intake hopper including an intake hopper structure defining an intake hopper enclosure, an intake hopper inlet opening extending through a top wall of the intake hopper structure, and an intake hopper outlet opening extending through the intake hopper structure at a location that is below the intake hopper inlet opening, wherein the doser mechanism is coupled to the intake hopper such that the auger conveyor extends through both the doser inlet opening and the intake hopper outlet opening into the intake hopper enclosure;
- a supply hopper including a supply hopper structure defining a supply hopper enclosure, a supply hopper outlet opening extending through a bottom wall of the supply hopper structure;
- and
- a drop-down device coupled between the supply hopper outlet opening and the intake hopper inlet opening, wherein the drop-down device includes
- a conduit structure defining a conduit having a central longitudinal axis and extending along the central longitudinal axis between a drop-down inlet opening at a top end of the conduit structure and a drop-down outlet opening at a bottom end of the conduit structure, and
- a slat having a first end that is proximate to at least one inner surface of the conduit structure and a second end that is distal to the at least one inner surface of the conduit structure in relation to the first end and is proximate to the drop-down outlet opening in relation to the first end, the slat including an upper slat surface extending from the first end to the second end such that the upper slat surface is angled toward the drop-down outlet opening from the first end at an inclination angle.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.