Cylindrical module handler with panels
AssigneeStover Equipment Co., Inc.
InventorJimmy R. Stover
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In one embodiment, a system for removing a plastic wrap from a cylindrical module includes a conveyor transporting the cylindrical module toward a disperser with the cylindrical axis of the module parallel to the direction of conveyor movement. In another embodiment, the disperser is a travelling head disperser thereby providing relative movement between the modules and the disperser. The direction of the wrap around the module is determined and the cover is removed during rotation of the module, either by unwrapping the plastic or by slitting the plastic and then rotating the module. The equipment used to handle a cylindrical module is moved out of the path of movement of a conventional rectangular module so an installation can handle both rectangular and wrapped cylindrical modules.
Claims7
A cotton gin comprising at least one gin stand, a disperser adapted to reduce the contents of a seed cotton module to clumps for delivering the clumps to the gin stand, a conveyor adapted to convey round modules toward the disperser, equipment assisting in unwrapping round modules having a downstream end where unwrapped round modules are delivered to the conveyor, and a panel on each side of the conveyor, stationary relative to a conveying direction of travel of the conveyor and extending from a location below the conveyor to a position above the conveyor, on each side of the conveyor to prevent material in the module from escaping off a side of the conveyor between the unwrapping equipment and the disperser.
A method of modifying a cotton gin to accommodate the unwrapping of round seed cotton modules, the cotton gin having at least one gin stand, a disperser for digesting a cotton module and delivering cotton clumps toward the gin stand and a conveyor delivering seed cotton modules to the disperser, comprising
- positioning an unwrapper adjacent the conveyor assisting in the removal of a wrapper from a round cotton module;
- and
- erecting a panel on each side of the conveyor extending from the disperser toward a downstream end of the unwrapper, the panel extending vertically from a location adjacent the conveyor to a location adjacent substantially above a centerline of the module.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.