System and method for unloading a viscous product from a bag
OwnerAlberto Bazaninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for unloading a viscous product from a bag constrained by a bin where movable scrapers are utilized to increase the amount of product evacuated from the bag, to prevent damage to the bag containing the product, and to ease removal of the pump after pumping is complete by breaking the vacuum created during pumping.
Claims18
In a bin unloading apparatus for unloading viscous product contained within a plastic bag laterally constrained by a bin, said apparatus including a follower plate adapted to overlie a substantial portion of the exposed upper surface of the product, a pump for withdrawing the product through the follower plate and a scraper carried by the follower plate for scraping product off of the interior surface of the side walls of the plastic bag as the plate is lowered within the bag and the product is withdrawn from the bag through the plate by said pump, the improvement including means for selectively positioning said scraper in a first laterally extended position in scraping contact with the plastic bag as said plate is lowered and the product is being withdrawn therethrough and in a second laterally retracted position out of scraping contact with the plastic bag after the product is substantially removed therefrom, thereby reducing the risk of harm to the plastic bag when said follower plate is raised out of the plastic bag.
A bin unloading apparatus for unloading a viscous product contained within an open plastic bag constrained by a bin, said apparatus comprising:
- a bin for laterally constraining a plastic bag containing a viscous product;
- a follower plate adapted to overlie a substantial portion of the exposed upper surface of a viscous product within an open bag disposed in said bin, said follower plate being shaped so that the lateral edges thereof conform generally to the shape of said bin and carrying a pump operably connected to withdraw a viscous product from the open bag therethrough;
- one or more scrapers carried by said follower plate adjacent the peripheral edges thereof, said one or more scrapers being configured when laterally extended to scrape a viscous product off of the interior surface of a side wall of an open plastic bag when disposed within said bin;
- and
- means for selectively retracting said one or more scrapers to a retracted second position out of contact with a plastic bag disposed within said bin to thereby break any vacuum created in the bag during the pumping of a viscous product out of the bag and ease removal of said follower plate from said bin after emptying the bag.
A bin unloading apparatus for unloading a viscous product contained within an open plastic bag constrained by a bin, said apparatus comprising:
- a bin for laterally constraining a plastic bag containing a viscous product;
- a follower plate adapted to overlie a substantial portion of the exposed upper surface of a viscous product within an open bag disposed in said bin and carrying a pump operably connected to withdraw a viscous product from the open bag therethrough;
- and
- one or more scrapers carried by said follower plate adjacent the peripheral edges thereof, said one or more scrapers being selectively extended and retracted to thereby vary the lateral distance from said bin.
A bin unloading apparatus for unloading a viscous product contained within an open plastic bag constrained by a bin, said apparatus comprising:
- a bin for laterally constraining a plastic bag containing a viscous product;
- a follower plate adapted to overlie a substantial portion of the exposed upper surface of a viscous product within an open bag disposed in said bin and carrying a pump operably connected to withdraw a viscous product from the open bag therethrough;
- and
- one or more scrapers carried by said follower plate adjacent the peripheral edges thereof, said one or more scrapers being selectively extended laterally to thereby position said follower plate within said bin.
A bin unloading apparatus for unloading a viscous product contained within an open plastic bag constrained by a bin, said apparatus comprising:
- a bin for laterally constraining a plastic bag containing a viscous product;
- a follower plate adapted to overlie a substantial portion of the exposed upper surface of a viscous product within an open bag disposed in said bin and carrying a pump operably connected to withdraw a viscous product from the open bag therethrough;
- and
- one or more scrapers carried by said follower plate adjacent the peripheral edges thereof, said one or more scrapers being selectively retracted to a position laterally inside the peripheral edge of said follower plate to thereby facilitate removal of said follower plate from a bag disposed within said bin.
A bin unloading apparatus for unloading an open plastic bag constrained by a bin, said apparatus comprising:
- a bin for laterally constraining a plastic bag;
- a follower plate adapted to overlie a substantial portion of the exposed upper surface of the contents of an open bag when disposed in said bin and carrying a pump operably connected to withdraw the contents of the open bag therethrough;
- and
- one or more selectively positionable scrapers carried by said follower plate adjacent the peripheral edges thereof.
A method for unloading a viscous product contained within a plastic bag constrained by a bin, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) positioning a follower plate carrying scrapers on the surface of a viscous product contained within an open plastic bag laterally constrained by a bin;
- (b) laterally extending the scrapers in position to scrape product off the interior surface of a side wall of the plastic bag as the plate is lowered into the bag bin;
- and
- (c) pumping viscous product out of the bag through the plate to thereby lower the plate within the bag,
- thereby unloading the viscous product from the plastic bag.
In a method for unloading a viscous product contained within an open plastic bag constrained by a bin by lowering a follower plate supported pump into the bag while scraping the sides of the bag with scrapers carried by the follower plate, the improvement comprising the step of laterally retracting the scrapers sufficiently to break any vacuum created by removal of the viscous product from the bag prior to removing the follower plate from the bag.
In a method for unloading a viscous product contained within an open plastic bag constrained by a bin by lowering a follower plate supported pump into the bag while scraping the sides of the bag with scrapers carried by the follower plate, the improvement comprising the step of laterally retracting the scrapers sufficiently to eliminate contact with the bag prior to removing the follower plate from the bag to thereby reduce the risk of injury to the bag as the follower plate is removed.
In a method for unloading a viscous product contained within an open plastic bag constrained by a bin by lowering a follower plate supported pump into the bag while scraping the sides of the bag with scrapers carried by the follower plate, the improvement comprising the step of laterally retracting the scrapers sufficiently to reduce the scraping of the viscous product from the side walls of the bag onto the follower plate as the follower plate is withdrawn from the bag thereby enhancing the cleanliness of the work area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.