Smoke generating and dispensing apparatus and method
OwnerWilliam D. Green, Jr.inventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Comminuted material conveyed from a hopper by a blower induced airstream accumulates on a screen. When a measured amount of material accumulates on the upstream side of the screen, a burner is energized to effect combustion of the material, producing smoke and unclogging the screen. The smoke is displaced by the airstream through the screen and is discharged therewith from a smoke outlet.
Claims17
In an apparatus for generating and dispensing smoke produced by combustion of solid material, a housing having a smoke outlet, a hopper within which said material is a stored, gas flow means for conveying said material from the hopper to the outlet, gas permeable means for blocking flow of the material to the outlet, and burner means mounted in operative relation to the gas permeable means for combustion of the material accumulated upstream on the gas permeable means producing smoke displaced through the gas permeable means.
A method of producing and dispensing smoke by combustion of a solid material including the steps of:
- storing said material in a storage zone;
- circulating a forced flow of air through said storage zone to fluidize and convey said material;
- accumulating material conveyed from the storage zone at a location downstream thereof;
- burning the material accumulated at said location to produce smoke;
- and discharging said smoke downstream of said location.
In an apparatus for generating and dispensing smoke produced by combustion of solid material, a housing having a smoke outlet, a hopper within which said material is stored, passage means extending through the housing for establishing fluid communication between the hopper and the smoke outlet, flow inducing means for conveying the material into the passage means, screening means mounted in the passage means for restricting flow therethrough, and burner means for effecting combustion of the material accumulated in the passage means at the screening means upstream relative to the smoke outlet, whereby the smoke produced by said combustion passes through the screening means for discharge downstream thereof from the outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.