Endless Conveyor With Paddles Patents (Class 366/271)
  • Publication number: 20140169124
    Abstract: The apparatus of the present invention comprises a plurality of flexible impact elements for controlling the buildup of solids in a mixer, submerged flight conveyor, unloader or similar device. The device for use with the impact elements has at least one shaft and a plurality of rotating elements which rotate around a drive sprocket or extend radially from a shaft for moving ash or similar particulate solids. The flexible impact elements communicate with the device so as to limit or control the buildup of solids on the rotating elements, thus enabling a more efficient throughput of materials by the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Inventors: Phillip A. Drennen, Stanley R. Tryba
  • Publication number: 20110103178
    Abstract: The apparatus of the present invention comprises a plurality of flexible impact elements for controlling the buildup of solids in a mixer, unloader or similar device. The device for use with the impact elements has at least one shaft and a plurality of rotating elements extending radially from the shaft for moving ash or similar particulate solids. The flexible impact elements communicate with the device as the shaft rotates so as to limit or control the buildup of solids on the rotating elements, thus enabling a more efficient throughput of materials by the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Inventor: Phillip A. Drennen
  • Patent number: 7115187
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for continually producing a suspension of cellulose in an aqueous tertiary amine oxide. The method includes (a) mixing cellulose and an amine oxide-free aqueous phase to form a cellulose suspension in a mass ratio in the range of 1:3 to 1:40, (b) dehydrating the cellulose suspension, wherein the dehydrated cellulose suspension has a cellulose content in the range of 20 to 80 percent-by-mass; (c) mixing the cellulose suspension with an aqueous amine oxide while the cellulose suspension is falling through a vertical fall zone to obtain an aqueous amine oxide-cellulose suspension with an amine oxide content in the range of 70 to 80 percent-by-mass; and (d) conveying the aqueous amine oxide-cellulose suspension through a horizontal shear zone. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out this method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Alceru Schwarza GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf-Uwe Bauer, MUwe Kind
  • Patent number: 6610134
    Abstract: A procedure to continuously produce a suspension of cellulose in aqueous N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide is characterized in that: (a) The cellulose is conveyed through a first shearing zone in the absence of N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide and is homogenized, and (b) the homogenized cellulose is conveyed through a second shearing zone after adding enough aqueous N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide for a suspension to result in a N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide content in the liquid phase of 70-80 weight percent after mixing, whereby the cellulose or suspension almost completely fills the available content cross-section in the shearing zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Alceru Schwarza GmbH
    Inventors: Uwe Kind, Leo Kagalowski, Marco Blech
  • Patent number: 6059447
    Abstract: An in situ method of mixing a first material with a second material involves disposing the second material over a layer of the first material, disposing a mixing apparatus through the first and second layers of material, and mixing the first and second materials with the mixing apparatus. The mixing apparatus includes an endless cutting assembly which is movable along a loop path. The cutting assembly includes a plurality of teeth which convey the second material downwardly and mix the second material with the underlying layer of the first material. The method has particular application in converting mineral waste materials such as phosphogypsum into useful mixtures which can be used as construction fill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Inventor: James L Paris
  • Patent number: 5906436
    Abstract: A composting system for promoting maximum aerobic microbial activity in a composting bed. The system includes at least one composting bay for receiving composting material and an agitator for aerating and displacing composting material as it travels through the composting bay. The agitator has at least one structural frame member, and a conveyor, a feeder, and at least one bridge breaker that are mounted to the structural frame member. As the agitator travels through the bay, the feeder takes composting material from the bay and feeds it to the conveyor which discharges the composting material rearwardly into the bay behind the agitator. The bridge breaker displaces the composting material above the feeder causing the material to fall substantially evenly onto the feeder, thereby preventing large amounts of composting material from suddenly collapsing onto the feeder which can result in overload conditions on the feeder drive system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: United States Filter Corporation
    Inventors: Arthur Cole, Carl Fronhofer, Donald Gillis, Daniel Hagen, Mark Morrison, Mark Sesera
  • Patent number: 5851820
    Abstract: A unit for the preparation of fermenting gas by fermenting viscous media with mixing paddles that can be moved continuously back and forth and in the same direction in the tank to mix the medium to be fermented. Alternately, the mixing paddles hang from a rotating roller in the tank and the roller is driven such that the mixing paddles are moved up and down. The unit may be fitted with several mixing paddles arranged in series and in the direction of the mixing effect, i.e., the suspended mixing paddles are arranged above each other in the event of a vertical tank, in which case a joint drive unit is provided for each mixing paddle group, thus moving the mixing paddles simultaneously in such a manner that each individual mixing paddle executes only a limited stroke, but the mixing paddles as a whole achieve a complete mixing of the medium to be fermented in the chamber, in which are installed the mixing paddles. The heat exchange is improved, when a heat exchange wall is installed between the two chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Inventor: Christoph Frese
  • Patent number: 5727879
    Abstract: An organic waste decomposition treatment apparatus, wherein agitation vanes of flight members are rotatably attached to looped chains, so as to churn and ferment organic waste accumulated within a reservoir vat when the chain is rotationally driven, then be pushed towards an interior of the agitator by a push-down scraper which is positioned outside of the agitator at a back side of the agitator with respect to the direction of advancement, so as to eliminate contact resistance between the agitator and the organic waste at the back side of the agitator. It is thereby possible to make the agitator smaller and less expensive, and the decomposition treatment efficiency of organic waste is able to be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1998
    Assignee: Daiwa Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Susumu Ueda
  • Patent number: 5534207
    Abstract: A method for forming an article from recyclable plastic materials includes progressively heating thermoplastic solid particles simultaneously with mixing, melting and conveying the particles, prior to delivery of molten material to an extruder. The process is particularly suitable for the continuous extrusion of elongated members having a plurality of internal wall surfaces defining elongated cavities within the member. The apparatus embodying the present invention includes a heated mixer-conveyor that simultaneously heats, melts, mixes and conveys thermoplastic material from an inlet port at which the material is received in solid particulate form, to a discharge port at which the material is in a substantially liquid state. A die particularly adapted for the continuous extrusion of an elongated member having internal walls shaped by surfaces within the die cavity is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1996
    Assignee: Natural Resource Recovery, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas N. Burrus
  • Patent number: 5149196
    Abstract: A compost handling machine comprising a carriage to support the machine for movement along a composting bay, and a compost agitating and conveying assembly to agitate compost in, and to move the compost along, the bay. The agitating and conveying assembly includes a conveyor subassembly and a drum subassembly. The conveyor subassembly includes a plurality of lifting cleats that, in use, are moved around a closed path to lift compost in the bay and move the compost rearwardly therein. The drum subassembly includes an agitating drum extending between and supported by a pair of support arms, and the drum is rotated to agitate and comminute the compost in the bay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1992
    Assignee: International Process Systems
    Inventors: Thomas J. Piacentino, Thomas J. Piacentino, Jr., Howard Rosenbloom
  • Patent number: 4973166
    Abstract: A machine for conditioning granular materials includes a dual section chamber through which a transport belt travels and in the first chamber of which are a pair of closely spaced counter-rotating heads so driven that the material is moved toward the narrow gap between the heads. The shafts on which the heads are mounted extend upwardly, are parallel and also are inclined upwardly at a minor angle to the vertical in an upstream direction with respect to the direction of movement of material through the equipment. Each head is equipped with blades of two different designs to perform different functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1990
    Assignee: Sandmold Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Smith, Frederick L. Walter, Larry J. Palmer
  • Patent number: 4922463
    Abstract: A modularly constructed, trailerable, skid mounted, multi-compartmented concrete mixer and cement storage silo having a plurality of longitudinally aligned, bottom mounted, driven feed chains. In a combination construction, a single motor is cooperatively coupled to the feed chains of each mixer compartment and the feed chain of the cement silo to feed the cement/sand/aggregate in metered quantities to a turreted, separately powered auger where water is added and along the length of which the concrete is mixed. A silo vent column includes a plurality of fabric collection filters and means for vibrationally removing and reclaiming the cement. Air infiltration ports mounted along the bottom of the cement silo and one or more vibrators mounted to the mixer adjacent the sand and aggregate bins prevents crusting. Alternatively, the silo may be self-powered, and/or the mixer and silo may be transported independent of one another and/or without the trailer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: Del Zotto Manufacturing Co.
    Inventors: William Del Zotto, Jerry Lewis
  • Patent number: 4828399
    Abstract: A compost handling machine comprising a carriage to support the machine for movement along a composting bay, and a compost agitating and conveying assembly to agitate compost in, and to move the compost along the bay. The agitating and conveying assembly includes a conveyor subassembly and a drum subassembly. The conveyor subassembly includes a plurality of lifting cleats that, in use, are moved around a closed path to lift compost in the bay and move the compost rearwardly therein. The drum subassembly includes an agitating drum extending between and supported by a pair of support arms, and the drum is rotated to agitate and comminute the compost in the bay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1989
    Assignee: International Process Systems
    Inventors: Thomas J. Pacentino, Thomas J. Piacentino, Jr., Howard Rosenbloom
  • Patent number: 4715722
    Abstract: From a device (46) for opening pressed bales of fiber material set up in a row (39, 40), the opened fiber material is conveyed pneumatically (55) to a hopper feeder (1). A receiving chamber (13) and upwardly extending inclined spiked feed lattice (3) are provided in hopper feeder (1) for delivering fiber to a processing machine via outlet (8). The delivery of the fiber material, removed continuously from the row of bales, to receiving chamber (13) of hopper feeder (1) is performed transversely to the latter, and in parallel to spiked feed lattice (3). In another embodiment a filling chamber (13a) may be advantageously compartmentalized by transverse walls (57, 58) and provided with a bottom conveyor (56). Fiber is removed in a height direction from a longitudinal face of the fiber bed formed in filling chamber (13a) of fiber feeding device (19).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1987
    Assignee: Hergeth Hollingsworth, GmbH
    Inventors: Adolph Hergeth, Gunter Lucassen, Akiva Pinto
  • Patent number: 4702609
    Abstract: An apparatus for mixing materials for making animal feed, comprising a mixer including a pair of endless chains interconnected by parallel mixing members spaced from one another and forming a travelling endless conveyor. The chains are supported solely by two pairs of upper sprocket wheels, one of which is a driving pair. The length of the chains is selected so that the belt has a lower arcuate strand below the sprocket wheels and a substantially linear upper strand in between the sprocket wheels, the lower strand being longer than the upper one, both of these strands defining an inner mixing zone. The mixer is mounted in an open-top casing having an arcuate bottom beneath and adjacent to the lower strand and a linear strand between the sprocket wheels. A rotary lump breaking member is provided in the mixing zone close to an parallel to the mixing members, in front of a mixture discharge opening provided in the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1987
    Assignee: Agrimetal Inc.
    Inventor: Mario Houle
  • Patent number: 4610545
    Abstract: A concrete mixer in this invention comprises an elastomeric lug belt carried by a first set of roller drums at least one of which is driven, the lug belt having a plurality of spaced elastomeric lugs thereon, and an elastomeric base belt carried by a second set of roller drums and depending between two of these roller drums to form a part-loop portion, at least one of the base belt roller drums also being driven to drive the lug belt past the base belt in a mixing zone in the part-loop portion, such that the base belt moves in the opposite direction from the direction of movement of the lug belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1986
    Assignee: Monier Limited
    Inventor: Robert K. Tomlinson
  • Patent number: 4470705
    Abstract: A self-propelled mixing and feeding machine on which the operator can ride. The machine comprises a wheeled, steerable chassis having a hopper mounted thereon. The hopper includes a mixing chamber provided with chain driven mixing means for the cattle feed. A discharge chamber is located in the hopper below one area of the mixing chamber. A feature of the machine is the low location of the discharge chamber and its discharge opening whereby the flow of feed is aided by gravity. Another feature resides in the novel means to minimize compacting of the feed in the vicinity of the opening between the mixing and discharge chambers. Still another feature of the machine is a means for quickly and easily replacing a discharge auger of one diameter with an auger of another diameter. When the machine is provided with an electronic scale that gives a digital reading of the weight of the feed in the hopper, another of its features is an independent suspension means for connecting the hopper to the machine chassis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1984
    Inventors: Richard K. Boice, Michael R. Green
  • Patent number: 4428814
    Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed, for mechanically agitating, in a non-reciprocating manner, a permalloy composition used in an electroplating procedure, in such a way as to apply a film of improved uniformity of composition and thickness thus avoiding limitations of prior electroplating processes which, due to uneven boundary layer flow patterns caused by reciprocating agitation, result in non-uniformities in film composition and thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1984
    Assignee: Sperry Corporation
    Inventor: Tsu-Fang Chen
  • Patent number: 4324495
    Abstract: This invention relates to a feeder 10 for glass fibers useful in feeding glass fibers to a wet-mat process. Previous fiber feeders were unreliable and caused process disruptions primarily due to fiber conveying belt breakage. Belt breakage in the present fiber feeder is substantially eliminated by providing a belt pulley comprising an open-ended cylindrical drum 52 having a plurality of staggered waste fiber intake openings 54 longitudinally and circumferentially distributed over the drum. The intake openings 54 are staggered and sized to eliminate interference with the motion of slats 60 which comprise the fiber conveying belt 50, to ensure sufficient flow of waste fiber 36' out of the drum 52 and to eliminate any potential accumulation of waste fiber 36' between the belt 50 and the belt pulley 48.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1982
    Assignee: Manville Service Corporation
    Inventor: Emilio M. Martinez
  • Patent number: 4304273
    Abstract: A magnetic brush developer having a toner dispenser cooperable with a removable toner container of the bottle type so that transfer of toner to the dispenser occurs without spillage or exposure of the toner to the external environment. The bottle and dispenser have mating interfaces which must be properly located, and then rotated, before dumping of toner from the bottle to the dispenser can occur. The dispenser interface is positioned in a slidable cover so that the bottle's toner content can be evenly distributed along the length of the dispenser, this length corresponding substantially to the length of the developer's development zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1981
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Allison H. Caudill, Lowell M. Simson, James W. Stanley
  • Patent number: 4136964
    Abstract: Apparatus for simultaneously mixing and conveying particulate material, the apparatus comprising a housing having an input end and an output end disposed vertically higher than the input end, means for feeding the particulate material into the input end of the housing, a conveyor disposed within the housing and having a plurality of lifting surfaces provided with perforations therethrough so that a portion of the particulate material being lifted by each lifting surface descends through the perforations and is mixed with particulate material being lifted by lifting surfaces disposed therebelow, and means for discharging the mixed particulate material from the output end of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 30, 1979
    Assignee: CMI Corporation
    Inventor: George W. Swisher, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4060167
    Abstract: Method for providing surge capacity and for smoothing out the flow rate of refuse in a system, wherein refuse is loaded onto a moving conveyor at variable or intermittent rates, by (1) preventing excess refuse from passing beyond a given point on the conveyor by a rotating leveler, spaced a predetermined distance from the conveyor to permit only the desired level of refuse to remain on the conveyor beyond the leveler, and (2) rotating the leveler at a speed greater than the speed of the conveyor, the direction of rotation of the leveler being opposite to the direction of travel of the refuse on the conveyor. Refuse in excess of the amount desired to be transported by the conveyor is retained behind the leveler as a rolling inventory of refuse, causing the refuse to be discharged from the conveyor at a constant and uniform rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1976
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1977
    Assignee: Union Carbide Corporation
    Inventor: George Edwin Smith