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US 4,044,926 AGranted
Granular metering
OwnerKenneth M. Alleninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An abrading member is moved back and forth over a discharge opening of a hopper to abrade lumps of salt in the hopper to cause all of the salt passed out of the opening to be free flowing. The abraded member is moved with a slotted spreader tray positioned below the opening of the hopper and movable past a spreader plate extending down from the opening, and the salt drops through the slots onto food particles on a conveyor therebelow.
Claims13
In a metering device,
- a hopper having a bottom having a tapped bore,
- a vertical nipple screwed into the bore,
- a locking nut on the nipple for holding the nipple in adjusted position relative to the hopper,
- a receiving plate movable below the nipple and serving to support granular material dispersed through the nipple except when the plate is moved across the nipple,
- and a movable abrading member above the nipple and extending across the upper end of the nipple in a position such as to block flow of lumps of the granular material through the nipple.
2 more elements
In a metering device:
- a hopper having a discharge orifice,
- receiving plate means below the orifice for receiving granular material from the orifice and movable relative to the orifice only within limits in which the receiving plate means, if stationary, would support material from the orifice,
- means for moving the receiving plate means relative to the orifice transversely of the orifice to push the material off the receiving plate means,
- abrading means positioned in the hopper comprising a file-like member extending crosswise of the orifice and movable back and forth across the orifice,
- and means mounting the file-like member for such movement in a position spaced from the orifice to allow non-lumpy granular material to flow into the orifice and close enough to the orifice to prevent flow of lumps of granular material into the orifice.
2 more elements
In a metering device;
- a hopper having a bottom provided with a wall having a discharge orifice therethrough,
- a screw having a sharp-edged thread portion and positioned above the orifice and extending thereacross,
- and drive means for reciprocating the screw longitudinally across the orifice to abrade material flowing to the orifice,
- the screw being positioned close to the orifice so as to prevent lumps of material from passing into the orifice.
1 more element
In a metering device:
- a hopper having a bottom having a plurality of orifices spaced therealong,
- plate means having a plurality of plate portions spaced therealong with openings therebetween,
- means mounting the plate means spaced from and directly below the orifices for movement relative to the orifices between limits such that the plate portions always support material from the orifices to prevent continuous flow from the orifices to the openings but cause granular material to be pushed into the openings when the plate means is moved between said limits, and means for moving the plate means between said limits,
- the orifices being mounted in a row and the plate portions being mounted in a row,
- the hopper including a plurality of spaced tubular members defining the orifices and projecting below the bottom of the hopper.
2 more elements
In a powdered material dispensing device;
- a hopper having a bottom having an orifice,
- a screw-like abrader having a sharp-edged thread portion,
- means mounting the abrader in a position just above and extending transversely across the orifice for longitudinal reciprocation so as to block flow of lumps of granular material through the orifice,
- and drive means reciprocating the abrader longitudinally to abrade material flowing to the orifice.
1 more element
In a powdered material dispensing device;
- a hopper having a bottom having a downwardly directed orifice,
- a screw-like abrader,
- means mounting the abrader in a position just above and extending transversely across the orifice for longitudinal reciprocation so as to block flow of lumps of granular material through the orifice,
- and drive means for reciprocating the abrader to abrade material flowing to the orifice.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.