System and method for conveying loose material
AssigneeDirt Machine Partners
InventorLeo Waddell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus, systems and methods for conveying loose material are shown and described. In one embodiment, a plurality of spaced apart, interconnected conveyor elements entrap and move loose material through a hollow conduit having a fixed size and shape, and past a delivery location where high-pressure air enters one hole through the wall of the conduit and a fluidized mixture of high-pressure air and the loose material exits a separate, second hole in the conduit, carrying the loose material at a high rate of speed and a high velocity to a remote location. In a second embodiment, the system is moveably attached to a trailer to rotate between a traveling configuration and an operative configuration to facilitate mobility and operability of the above system.
Claims17
An apparatus for use in combination with a hopper and a mechanical conveyor to convey loose material from the hopper to a remote location, the mechanical conveyor having a plurality of spaced-apart, interconnected conveyor elements, the conveyor elements each having a resilient external edge with a consistent unstressed shape, the mechanical conveyor being configured to move the loose material from the hopper along a material path, the loose material being entrapped between the conveyor elements, the apparatus comprising:
- a hollow conduit having a substantially continuous wall extending along a length between openings at first and second ends of the conduit, the wall of the conduit being made from a rigid material and having a fixed size and shape, an internal surface of the wall being sized and shaped to allow the conveyor elements of the mechanical conveyor to pass along at least a portion of the material path through the conduit in an orientation in which the entire external edge of each of the conveyor elements therein is in close contact with the internal surface of the wall to form a seal retaining the loose material therebetween, a delivery location along the length of the conduit having a plurality of openings through the wall, the first opening being adapted to communicate with a source of high pressure air, the delivery location along the conduit also having a second opening through the wall, the second opening being sized and shaped to allow the loose material entrapped between the conveyor elements to flow therethrough in a fluent state with the high pressure air that enters the conduit through the first opening, the second opening being adapted to be coupled to a hose for delivering the loose material to the remote location.
A system for conveying loose material to a remote location, the system comprising:
- a hopper;
- a mechanical conveyor, the mechanical conveyor having a plurality of spaced-apart, interconnected conveyor elements, the conveyor elements each having a resilient external edge with a consistent unstressed shape, the mechanical conveyor communicating with the hopper to move the loose material from the hopper along a material path with the loose material entrapped between the conveyor elements;
- and
- a hollow conduit extending along at least a portion of the material path of the mechanical conveyor, the conduit having a substantially continuous wall extending along a conduit length between openings at first and second ends of the conduit, the wall of the conduit being made from a rigid material and having a fixed size and shape, an internal surface of the wall being sized and shaped to closely receive the conveyor elements of the mechanical conveyor in an orientation in which the entire external edge of each of the conveyor elements is in close contact with the internal surface of the wall to form a seal retaining the loose material therebetween, a delivery location along the length of the conduit having a plurality of openings through the wall, the first opening being adapted to communicate with a source of high pressure air, the delivery location along the conduit also having a second opening through the wall, the second opening being sized and shaped to allow the loose material entrapped between the conveyor elements to flow therethrough in a fluent state with the high pressure air that enters the conduit through the first opening, the second opening being adapted to be coupled to a hose for delivering the loose material to the remote location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.