Apparatus and method for transferring batched materials

A batched material transferring apparatus, comprising:

• (a) an elongated cylindrical drum having an elongated tubular wall and a pair of end walls attached to respective opposite ends of said tubular wall and defining an elongated interior chamber therein, said drum having an inlet opening and an outlet opening formed in said tubular wall of said drum adjacent to one another and adjacent to respective ones of said end walls of said drum, said outlet opening being formed through a bottom portion of said tubular wall of said drum, said inlet opening being formed through a portion of said tubular wall of said drum displaced axially and upwardly along said tubular wall of said drum from said bottom portion thereof;
• (b) a bucket disposed in said drum and being movable relative to said drum;
• and
• (c) a driving arrangement connected to said bucket through one of said end walls of said drum for driving said bucket to undergo movement solely within said interior chamber along an axial path extending generally along a longitudinal axis and relative to said drum between a loading position and a dumping position in said interior chamber in which said bucket is respectively aligned with said inlet opening and said outlet opening in said tubular wall of said drum, said driving means also for driving said bucket to undergo movement solely within said interior chamber along a circumferential path extending generally around said longitudinal axis and relative to said drum and relative to said first path between a receiving orientation and a discharging orientation such that at said loading position and receiving orientation said bucket is adapted to communicate with said inlet opening in said tubular wall of said drum for receiving a batch of material into said bucket, whereas at said dumping position and discharging orientation said bucket is adapted to communicate with said outlet opening in said tubular wall of said drum for discharging the batch of material from said bucket;
• (d) said driving means including
• (i) an elongated track aligned along said longitudinal axis of said drum and extending away from said one end wall of said drum,
• (ii) a carriage mounted on said track to undergo reciprocal movement therealong toward and away from said drum along said longitudinal axis thereof,
• (iii) an elongated shaft having first and second spaced ends, said shaft extending through said one end wall of said drum and being connected at said first end to an end of said bucket and rotatably coupled at said second end to said carriage,
• (iv) a first drive mechanism coupled in a rotary drive relationship to said shaft between said first and second ends thereof and being selectively operable to rotate said shaft and thereby cause movement of said bucket between said receiving orientation and said discharging orientation, and
• (v) a second drive mechanism extending between and connected to a support structure and said carriage, said second drive mechanism being selectively operable to reciprocally move said carriage and said first drive mechanism and elongated shaft therewith along said track and said longitudinal axis toward and away from said drum and thereby cause movement of said bucket between said loading position and said dumping position.

A batched material transferring method, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an elongated drum having a longitudinal axis and an elongated tubular wall and a pair of end walls attached to respective opposite ends of the tubular wall and defining an elongated interior chamber therein, the drum also being provided with an inlet opening and an outlet opening formed in the tubular wall of the drum adjacent to one another and adjacent to respective ones of the end walls of the drum, the outlet opening being formed through a bottom portion of the tubular wall of the drum, the inlet opening being formed through a portion of the tubular wall of the drum displaced axially and upwardly along said tubular wall of said drum from said bottom portion thereof;
• (b) moving a bucket solely in the interior chamber of the drum along a first path relative to the drum between a loading position and a dumping position in the interior chamber of the drum in which the bucket is respectively aligned with the inlet opening and the outlet opening in the tubular wall of the drum;
• and
• (c) moving the bucket solely in the interior chamber of the drum along a second path relative to the drum and relative to the first path between a receiving orientation and a discharging orientation such that at the loading position and receiving orientation the bucket is aligned with the inlet opening in the tubular wall of the drum for receiving a batch of materials into the bucket whereas at the dumping position and discharging orientation the bucket is aligned with the outlet opening in the tubular wall of the drum for discharging the batch of materials from the bucket.