Ore concentrator

In combination with an ore concentrator including a pan having an encompassing sidewall, a bottom wall and a central aperture in said bottom wall, means coupled to said pan for imparting rotation thereto and means upstanding from said bottom wall for advancing concentrates from said sidewall to said central aperture during rotation of said pan, the improvement wherein said rotation imparting means includes means for oscillating said pan back-and-forth circumferentially, said means for imparting rotation to said pan and said means for oscillating said pan comprising:

• a first motor having a first output shaft;
• a first pulley keyed to said first output shaft;
• a second pulley keyed to said pan;
• a drive belt trained about said first and second pulleys for rotating said pan;
• a first bar having first and second ends, one of said first and second ends being pivotably mounted on said first output shaft;
• a second bar having first and second ends and an intermediate portion, said intermediate portion being affixed to the other of said first and second ends of said first bar with the major axis of said first bar lying normal to the major axis of said second bar;
• a third pulley rotatably mounted on said first end of said second bar;
• a fourth pulley rotatably mounted on said second end of said second bar, said third and fourth pulleys engaging said drive belt for rotation thereby;
• a second motor having a second output shaft;
• and
• means coupling said second output shaft to said first bar for oscillating said first bar back-and-forth, whereby said drive belt is cyclically tensioned and relaxed by said third and fourth pulleys for oscillating said pan back-and-forth.

An ore concentrator, comprising:

• a stand including a planar member having an elongated opening provided therein and a plurality of legs depending from said planar member for supporting said stand;
• a base plate including a front end, a rear end, first and second mounting lugs depending from said base plate intermediate said ends, third and fourth mounting lugs upstanding from said base plate adjacent said rear end and a first stop member affixed to the rear end of said base plate for supporting said rear end on said planar member;
• first and second pivot pins swingably connecting said first and second mounting lugs, respectively, to said planar member for supporting said base plate in said opening;
• a second stop member affixed to said base plate intermediate said front end and said first and second lugs for engaging said planar member after said base plate has swung about said first and second pivot pins a predetermined amount;
• a bracket member including an upper end, a lower end and fifth and sixth mounting lugs depending from said lower end;
• third and fourth pivot pins pivotably connecting said fifth mounting lug to said third mounting lug and said sixth mounting lug to said fourth mounting lug, respectively;
• a turnbuckle connecting said upper end of said bracket member to said base member for maintaining said bracket member at a desired angle with respect to said base member;
• a rectangular support member upstanding from said bracket member normal thereto, said support member having an upper end and a lower end;
• an ore concentrating pan having an encompassing sidewall, an open top, a bottom wall, a central aperture provided in said bottom wall and at least one band spiraling inwardly from said sidewall to said aperture;
• a hollow shaft rigidly coupled to said pan aperture, said shaft being rotatably mounted to said upper end of said support member parallel thereto;
• a driven pulley keyed to said hollow shaft;
• a first motor mounted to said support member, said first motor having a first output shaft;
• a drive pulley keyed to said first output shaft;
• a first bar having first and second ends, one of said first and second ends being pivotably mounted on said first output shaft;
• a second bar having first and second ends and an intermediate portion, said intermediate portion being affixed to the other of said first and second ends of said first bar with the major axis of said first bar lying normal to the major axis of said second bar;
• a first idler pulley rotatably mounted on said first end of said second bar;
• a second idler pulley rotatably mounted on said second end of said second bar;
• a drive belt trained about said drive, driven and idler pulleys for rotating said pan in a predetermined direction;
• a second motor mounted to said support member, said second motor having a second output shaft;
• and
• means coupling said second output shaft to said first bar for oscillating said first bar back-and-forth, whereby said drive belt is cyclically tensioned and relaxed by said idler pulleys for oscillating said pan back-and-forth, said coupling means comprising:
• an elliptically-shaped cam keyed to said second output shaft;
• a cam follower affixed to said first bar;
• and
• a spring biasing said cam follower into engagement with said cam.

An ore concentrator, comprising:

• a frame;
• a pan having at least one spiral riffle coiled inwardly from the periphery of said pan to an opening provided in the center thereof;
• a hollow shaft coupled to said opening;
• means rotatably mounting said hollow shaft to said frame;
• a driven pulley coupled to said hollow shaft for imparting rotation to said pan;
• a drive pulley rotatably mounted to said frame for driving said driven pulley;
• a belt trained about said pulleys for transmitting rotation from said drive pulley to said driven pulley;
• and
• means mounted to said frame for cyclically pulling said belt alternately in clockwise and counterclockwise directions, whereby said pan will be oscillated radially.