Bulk Feeding System and Method
AssigneeMulti-Fill, Inc.
InventorsRichard T Price, Byron D Larson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bulk product feeding system includes a product hopper, having a sloped bottom, a front side, and an outlet located at a lowermost confluence of the sloped bottom and the front side, the hopper being configured to receive and hold a bulk quantity of sticky or fragile product. A first sloped ram is reciprocally disposed in the bottom of the hopper, and configured to reciprocate toward and away from the outlet. A second, substantially vertical ram is reciprocally disposed on the front side of the hopper, and configured to reciprocate toward and away from the outlet and the first ram. Motion of the first and second rams is coordinated to controllably discharge the product through the outlet.
Claims20
A bulk product feeding system, comprising:
- a product hopper, having a sloped bottom, a front side, and an outlet located at a lowermost confluence of the sloped bottom and the front side, the hopper being configured to receive and hold a bulk quantity of sticky or fragile product;
- a first, sloped ram, reciprocally disposed in the bottom of the hopper, configured to reciprocate toward and away from the outlet;
- and
- a second, substantially vertical ram, reciprocally disposed on the front side of the hopper, configured to reciprocate toward and away from the outlet and the first ram, motion of the first and second rams being coordinated to controllably discharge the product through the outlet.
A bulk product feeding system, comprising:
- a product hopper, having a sloped bottom, a front wall, and an outlet located at a lower confluence of the sloped bottom and the front wall, the hopper being configured to receive and hold a bulk quantity of sticky or fragile product;
- a pair of sloped rams, positioned in the bottom of the hopper, configured to independently reciprocate toward and away from the outlet;
- a substantially vertical ram, disposed on the front wall, configured to reciprocate toward and away from the outlet, the sloped rams and the vertical ram having an extended position of mutual contact which blocks the outlet;
- and
- a controller, coupled to the sloped rams and the vertical ram, configured to selectively retract and extend the sloped rams and the vertical ram to selectively block or unblock the outlet.
A method for controllably dispensing a bulk product, comprising:
- placing a bulk quantity of sticky or fragile product into a hopper having a front wall, a sloped bottom, and an outlet located at a lower confluence of the front wall and the sloped bottom;
- and
- reciprocating a first sloped ram disposed in the bottom of the hopper, and a second substantially vertical ram disposed on the front wall, to selectively open or close the outlet opening, to control a size of the outlet and a rate of discharge of the product therethrough.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.