Rotary air lock feeder with improved material intake and discharge
OwnerFrank Salleyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved rotary air lock feeder. The improved device includes a cylinder having a central axis. A plurality of vanes extending radially outward to rotate in the cylinder about the axis. A hopper communicates with the cylinder through an inlet located in an upper portion of the cylinder. The present invention permits flow of material from the hopper to the cylinder without the use of a worm conveyor positioned in the bottom of the hopper. A pair of offset openings extend from the upper portion of the cylinder along each side of a vertical plane extending from the axis. The offset openings communicate with the cylinder to intermittently provide inter-chamber communication at each said offset opening.
Claims25
A rotary air lock feeder for delivering a material, comprising:
- a cylinder having a central axis;
- a plurality of vanes extending radially outward to revolve in said cylinder about said axis, adjacent pairs of said vanes defining chambers;
- a hopper communicating with said cylinder through an inlet located in an upper portion of said cylinder;
- and
- a pair of offset openings extending from said upper portion of said cylinder along each side of a vertical plane extending from said axis, and each said offset opening communicating with said cylinder which intermittently provides inter-chamber communication at each said offset opening.
The feeder of claim wherein said outlet port further comprises an innermost lengthwise edge defined by a constant radius relative to said axis.
A rotary air lock feeder for delivering a material, comprising:
- a cylinder having a central axis, wherein said cylinder comprises a pair of opposing end walls, one of said end walls comprising an outlet port, said outlet port defined by an outermost lengthwise edge defined by an increasing radius relative to said axis, an innermost lengthwise edge defined by a constant radius relative to said axis, and a pair of widthwise edges;
- a plurality of vanes extending radially outward to rotate in said cylinder about said axis, each of said widthwise edges substantially parallel to said vanes as each said vane passes each said widthwise edge;
- a hopper communicating with said cylinder through an inlet located in an upper portion of said cylinder, said hopper comprising a pivotally mounted surface for deflecting material within said hopper, said surface having a distal end extending downward towards said cylinder;
- a pair of offset openings extending from said upper portion of said cylinder along each side of a vertical plane extending from said axis, said offset openings communicating with said cylinder which intermittently provides inter-chamber communication at each said offset opening;
- and
- a pathway at least partially defining a communication path between the interior and exterior of said feeder without passing through said outlet port, said hopper defining a portion of said pathway where said pathway leads into the interior of said cylinder and said cylinder defining a portion of said pathway where said pathway leads through either of said offset openings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.