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US 2003/0197077 A1Published application
Granular spreader and product container
AssigneeBASF Akteingesellschaft
InventorsKeith F. Woodruff, John H. Thomas
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AssigneeBASF Akteingesellschaft
InventorsKeith F. Woodruff, John H. Thomas
Estimating the term…
Methods and apparatus are provided for dispensing chemical. material, and in particular, granular, agricultural material, from a moving device driven over terrain to be treated with the material. A metering system for dispersing the material includes on apertured metering disk positioned above a rotatable impeller. The apertured disk meters material from a product container, by gravity feed, onto the impeller below at a rate proportional to the linear speed at which the apparatus is driven to dispense material at a uniform density over the terrain. The metering disk is a component of a product container which is removably mounted to the device. The impeller rotates at a constant speed to disperse the deposited material at a uniform distance from the apparatus, and the position on which the material is deposited on the impeller is adjustable. A clutch permits the user to discontinue dispensing material from the device at the selection of the user, and automatically discontinues dispensing of material when the apparatus is driven in a reverse direction. Switches are provided for selectively adjusting the speed of rotation of the impeller, and the pattern at which material is propelled from the impeller. An override clutch permits the impeller to rotate after movement of the apparatus ceases, and a clutch housing is provided to reduce noise during operation of the apparatus.
An apparatus for dispersing product over terrain to be treated by the dispersed product, said apparatus including:
An apparatus for dispersing product over terrain to be treated by the dispersed product, said apparatus including:
A meter for controlling the flow of material from a container, said meter comprising:
A meter for controlling the flow of material from a container, said meter comprising:
A device for controlling the speed of a rotatable dispersing element of an apparatus for dispersing material, said device comprising:
A device for dispersing material over terrain to be treated, said device including:
A product container for dispersing material, said product container comprising:
A product container comprising:
An apparatus for dispersing product, the apparatus comprising:
An apparatus for dispersing product, the apparatus comprising:
An apparatus for dispersing product, the apparatus comprising:
An apparatus for dispersing product, the apparatus comprising:
An apparatus for dispersing product, the apparatus comprising:
A container removably mountable to an apparatus for dispersing a product from the container, the container comprising metering means for controlling flow of the product from the container;
A container adapted to be removably mounted to an apparatus for dispersing a product from the container as the apparatus is tranported over a terrain, the container defining discharge means oriented in a downward direction when the container is mounted to the apparatus for discharging the product from the container by gravity feed, the container having a closable opening defined therein for refilling the container with the product without removing the container from said apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Backward citations are indexed for grants only.
Fertiliser distributors: for hand use
Fertilisers or seeders with centrifugal wheels: regulating or dosing devices
Planting
Term end not estimated
This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 09/189,555, filed Nov. 11, 1998.
The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for dispersing material, particularly granular chemical material. The invention is particularly adapted for dispensing agricultural treatment material, such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizer from an apparatus driven over the terrain onto which the treatment materials are to be applied.
Agricultural dispensing apparatus, more commonly known as granular spreaders, generally include a wheeled vehicle, either self-powered (e.g., motorized) or manually driven, including a housing having a hopper for receiving a container holding the product to be dispersed, and metering means for controlling the quantity of material flowing from the product container, by gravity feed, and onto dispersing means, such as a rotating plate, positioned beneath the metering means for receiving material deposited thereon. The apparatus is driven along terrain to be treated, and the material to be applied to the terrain is dispersed from the moving apparatus by the rotational forces applied by the rotating plate.
FIG. 1 of the drawings is a side elevational view of a dispensing apparatus in accordance with the present invention, and a product container mounted to the apparatus in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view, in section, of the product container of FIG. 1 removed from the apparatus;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, in section, of the product container illustrated by FIG. 2;
FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of the dispensing apparatus in accordance with the present invention, and in particular, an apparatus for dispersing granular chemical material such as pesticides, and herbicides. The apparatus is driven over terrain to be treated, and the treatment material carried by the apparatus is applied to the terrain. The following discussion refers to the apparatus in accordance with the present invention as a “spreader” or an “agricultural spreader”.
The spreader in accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present invention is designated generally by reference numeral 2. The major components of the spreader 2 include a hopper 4 provided for removably receiving a product container 6 holding the material to be dispersed by the spreader. A housing sleeve 8 is provided to receive a metering housing, to be discussed in greater detail below, integrally defined at the bottom of the product container 6. The product container and metering assembly are therefore removably mounted to the hopper of the spreader as a single unit. An impeller assembly 10, including a rotatable impeller, is disposed beneath the housing sleeve 8, and a drive belt 12 operatively associated with a wheel 14 is coupled to the impeller assembly 10 for imparting rotational movement to the impeller, when the wheel 14 rotates as the spreader 2 is driven over the terrain designated by reference numeral 16. (As will be described below, a drive system is also provided to impart rotational movement of the wheel to a metering disk rotatably mounted within the metering housing). A second wheel, mounted on the opposite end of an axle on which the first wheel 14 is mounted, is not shown in FIG. 1. The spreader also includes a vertical supporting element 18 to reinforce the structural integrity of the assembled device, and a handle 20 by which the device is driven by a user. The spreader 2 can be manually driven or self-powered (e.g., motorized). A lever 22 is mounted to the handle to permit the user to disengage the metering system to selectively prevent the application of material to the terrain by the spreader when the switch is in the off position.
FIG. 2 of the drawing illustrates a front elevational view, in section, of the product container 6 shown in FIG. 1, removed from the spreader apparatus. FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the product container 6 illustrated by FIG. 2. The product container 6 is formed from three major components—a container housing 24 which can be formed from a corrugated cardboard material; a product bag 25 mounted inside the housing 24; and a metering housing 26 integrally formed as a single unit with the product container 6 and mounted to a pyramid shaped flange 28 defined at the bottom of the housing 24. The top end 30 of the housing 24 is formed from a conventional flap-type closure and the bottom end of the housing is formed from tapered edges 32 on flaps 34, and an arcuate section 36 extending over the top of a portion of the meter housing 26. Cut-out sections 38, defined on opposed sides proximate to the top end 30 of the housing 24, provide handles to enable a user to carry the product container 6 when it is removed from the hopper of the spreader.