Apparatus and method for handling particulate material

Abstract

Particulate material, such as toner, is stored within a hopper (12) which leads to a feed screw (30). The feed screw (30) moves the particulate material through an outlet passageway (24) into a discharge spout (26). The outlet (46) of the discharge spout (26) delivers the toner into the inlet of a funnel (52). The funnel (52) delivers the toner into the inlet (50) of a toner cartridge (48). The toner cartridge (48) and funnel (52) are mounted by a carriage (56) for back and forth movement below the outlet (46). The rate of toner feed is coordinated with the cartridge travel so that the toner is substantially evenly distributed into the cartridge (48).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for storing and conveying finely divided particulate material such as, for example, toner that is used in laser printers, copying machines, and the like. More particularly, it relates to the provision of an apparatus and method for filling bottles, cartridges, and other containers, with toner, etc., in a fast, easy and economical way.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Prior art devices and methods for dispensing toner and other finely divided particulate material are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,385, granted May 23, 1972, to Clarence F. Carter; U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,529, granted Dec. 15, 1981, to Charles W. Spehrley Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,921, granted Sep. 16, 1986, to Jiterdna A. Patel; U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,446, granted Dec. 14, 1999, to Paul M. Wegman, Mikhail Vaynshteyn and Charles J. Balistere; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,406, granted Apr. 20, 2004, to Paul M. Wegman and Mikhail Vaynshteyn. The contents of these patents are hereby incorporated herein to provide a background of the invention.

A problem with the prior art devices for handling and feeding toner is that they take up substantial space, are costly, and are relatively difficult to operate and clean. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method for handling bulk toner and other finely divided particular material (e.g. powders, spices, seeds, etc.) that is easy to operate, easy to clean, is compact enough to sit on a work bench or cart, is affordable, and can efficiently fill toner cartridges or the like of many sizes. The principal object of the present invention is to fulfill this need.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The particulate material handling apparatus of the present invention includes a particulate material storing hopper having an upper end and a lower end and sidewalls that converge as they extend downwardly from the upper end to the lower end. A trough is provided at the lower end of the hopper. The trough has a closed bottom, closed sides and an open top. An outlet passageway extends endwise outwardly from one end of the trough to a downwardly opening outlet spout. A feed screw is positioned in the trough and extends end wise outwardly from the trough into the outlet passageway. The feed screw is operable to move particulate material from the hopper into and through the outlet passageway to the discharge spout. In use, a container for receiving particulate material is positioned under the discharge spout. The feed conveyor is operated to move particulate material from the hopper to the discharge spout which discharges it into the container.

The preferred embodiment comprises a drive shaft that is connected to the feed screw at the end of the feed screw opposite the outlet passageway. The drive shaft is connected to a drive motor that is operated for rotating the drive shaft and the feed screw. The preferred embodiment includes at least one vibrator for vibrating the hopper for the purpose of promoting downward travel of the particulate material in the hopper.

The container may be a bottle, a bag, a box or a toner cartridge, for example. A toner cartridge includes an elongated inlet on its top. The toner cartridge is preferably supported on a carriage for movement back and forth below the discharge spout, lengthwise of the inlet. The apparatus may include a load cell for monitoring the weight of the particulate material leaving the hopper. The hopper may be within an outer housing that sits down on the load cell. The weight on the load cell decreases in response to particulate material leaving the hopper. In this manner, the amount of particulate material delivered into a container can be quickly and automatically monitored.

The feed screw may be provided with a variable speed drive. The housing preferably includes an instrument panel that includes an off/on switch, a drive speed indicator, and a weight loss gauge.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the description of the best mode set forth below, from the drawings, from the claims and from the principles that are embodied in the specific structures that are illustrated and described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Like reference numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the several views of the drawing, and:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a housing for a hopper, looking down from above towards the top, the front and one side of the housing, such view showing a toner cartridge supported on a carriage that moves back and forth lengthwise of the cartridge inlet as toner is being discharged from the hopper into a funnel that directs the toner into the cartridge inlet;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown by FIG. 1, showing an outlet spout positioned to discharge toner into the funnel that directs the toner into the cartridge inlet;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 4, showing the housing, the hopper and a portion of the discharge passageway in section, and showing the feed screw inside elevation;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown by FIGS. 1-3 with the top of the hopper removed;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through the support table for the cartridge, showing a carriage on top of the table mounted for back and forth movement lengthwise of the cartridge inlet, and showing a lead screw drive for the carriage; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged scale side elevational view of the outlet passageway and the outlet spout, such view showing a container in the form of a bottle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises an outer housing 10, a hopper 12 within the housing 10 and a supporting structure 14 shown in the form of a countertop. The hopper 12 has an upper end 16, a lower end 18 and a downwardly tapering sidewall 20. A trough 22 is provided at the lower end 18. A discharge passageway 24 extends endwise outwardly from one end of the trough 22 to a downwardly opening outlet spout 26 that is outside of the housing 10. As shown by FIG. 3, the sidewalls of the hopper 12 converge as they extend downwardly. Hopper 12 is connected to the housing 10 at any suitable manner. Preferably, a lid 28 is provided for the housing 10 and the hopper 12. In FIG. 1, the lid 28 is removed. In FIG. 3, the lid 28 is installed.

An elongated helical feed screw 26 is positioned in the trough 22. One end of the feed screw 26 extends through the outlet passageway 24 over to where the outlet passageway 24 connects to the discharge spout 26. The opposite end of the feed screw 26 is connected to a drive shaft 32 that extends from the feed screw 30 outwardly through an opening in the housing sidewall 34. Outwardly of the housing the drive shaft 32 is connected to a source of drive power. In FIG. 3, a sprocket wheel 36 is shown connected to the drive shaft 32. The sprocket wheel 36 receives a drive chain that extends to another sprocket that is on the output shaft of a drive motor. As can be seen from FIG. 3, rotation of the shaft 32 in one direction causes the feed screw to move particulate material out form the hopper 12 through the outlet passageway 24 to the discharge spout 26. Preferably, the mechanism that rotates the drive shaft 32 provides a variable speed drive. The drive motor may be a variable speed motor or there may be a speed changing transmission between the drive motor and the drive shaft 32.

Preferably, the sidewall 20 of the hopper 12 is provided with at least one vibrator 38. In FIG. 3, two vibrators 38 are shown positioned on opposite parts of the sidewall 20. When energized, the vibrators 38 vibrate the sidewall 20 and promote downward movement of the particulate material in the hopper 12. Preferably, a load cell 40 is positioned below the housing 10. The load cell 40 weighs the structure that is supported on it. As particulate material is removed from the hopper 12, the weight decreases. The weight differential represents the weight of the particulate material that is delivered out through the outlet spout 26. This provides an easy way of keeping track of the amount of particulate material that is delivered into any particular container.

FIG. 4 shows the outlet spout 26 in the form of a funnel having a sidewall that converges as it extends downwardly to a small outlet passageway 46. The feed screw 30 delivers the particulate material through the outlet passageway 24 into the upper bowl of the outlet spout 26. In FIG. 6, a bottle B is shown positioned under the outlet 46. The bottle B can be held by hand under the outlet 46 or can be placed on a suitable support.

FIGS. 1-3 and 5 show a container in the form of a toner cartridge 48. This cartridge 48 has a horizontally elongated inlet opening 50. In FIGS. 1-3 and 5, a horizontally elongated funnel 52 is supported on the cartridge 48 with its outlet end 54 directed into the cartridge inlet 50. In FIGS. 1-3 and 5, the toner cartridge 48 is supported on a carriage 56 that is mounted for back and forth movement lengthwise of the cartridge inlet 50. By way of typical and therefore non-limitive example, the carriage 56 may be connected by a post 58 to a lead screw nut 60. Nut 60 engages a lead screw 62. A drive motor 64 at one end of the lead screw 62 rotates the lead screw 62 either clockwise or counterclockwise. When the lead screw 62 is rotated in one direction, the nut 60, post 58 and carriage 56 travel lengthwise of the lead screw 62 to the left (as pictured in FIG. 5). When the lead screw 62 is rotated in the opposite direction, the lead screw nut 60, the post 58 and the carriage 56 move to the right. The movement is a straight line movement and during the movement the inlet to the funnel 52 is always in line with the outlet 46 from the discharge spout 26. The back and forth movement of the carriage 56 moves with it the cartridge 48 and the funnel 52. The movement of the carriage 56 is at such a rate of travel that the toner is evenly distributed along the length of the cartridge 48 while the cartridge 48 is moving and the toner is being fed into the funnel 52.

It is to be understood that any mechanism capable of reciprocating the cartridge 48 may be used in place of the lead screw/carriage mechanism that is illustrated. Also, in the embodiment that includes the lead screw 62, any type of drive can be used for rotating the lead screw 62, including a hand crank. It is also within the scope of the invention to mount the cartridge carriage 56 and funnel 52 for back and forth linear movement lengthwise of the inlet 50 and then move the carriage 56, cartridge 48 and funnel 52 by hand.

As shown by FIG. 1, control panels 60, 62 may be provided on a wall of the housing 10, e.g. front wall 64. The controls include off/on switches for the feed screw drive, the carriage drive and the vibrators. Also, a speed control for the feed screw 30 and the lead screw 62 may be provided together with gauges which display indicia showing the feed rate of the feed screw 30, the travel rate of the lead screw 62 and the aptitude and frequency of the vibrators.

The apparatus of the invention is compact and can be set onto a counter, a table or some other elevated support. Despite its small size, the hopper 12 is capable of holding a relatively large volume of particulate material. It is quick and easy to add additional particulate material into the hopper 12 as the level of the particulate material in the hopper 12 drops towards the feed screw 30. The use of the feed screw 30 and the capability of varying its drive speed makes it possible to closely control the feed rate of the particulate material. This makes it possible to use the feed screw to cause discharge of the particulate material into a container having a horizontally elongated inlet, such as a toner cartridge, and allows the container to be moved back and forth below the outlet 46 of the discharge spout 26.

In operation, a toner cartridge 48 may be supported on the carriage 56 together with a funnel 52 that receives the discharge nozzle 46 at its open upper end. Particulate material is placed within the hopper 12 and the cartridge 48 and funnel 52 are positioned on the carriage 56. The feed screw power and the lead screw power are turned on and are set at a desired speed of operation. The operator need only watch as the carriage 56, cartridge 48 and funnel 52 reciprocate back and forth below the outlet nozzle 46 of the discharge spout 26. The feed screw 30 operates to continuously move particulate material out from the hopper 12 and through the outlet passageway 24 into the discharge spout 26. When a proper amount of toner is in the cartridge 48, the power is turned off for the both the feed screw 30 and the lead screw 62. If desired, an automatic control can be provided which is responsive to the weight loss of the toner from the hopper 12 for turning off the power when the desired amount of toner has been deposited into the cartridge 48.

The illustrated embodiments are only examples of the present invention and, therefore, are non-limitive. It is to be understood that many changes in the particular structure, materials and features of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is my intention that my patent rights not be limited by the particular embodiments that are illustrated and described herein, but rather are to be determined by the following claims, interpreted according to accepted doctrines of patent claim construction, including use of the doctrine of equivalents.

Claims

1. Apparatus for handling finely divided particulate material, comprising:

a particulate material receiving hopper having an upper end and a lower end and sidewalls that converge as they extend downwardly from the upper end to the lower end;

a trough at the lower end of the hopper having a closed bottom and closed sides and an open top;

an outlet passageway extending endwise outwardly from one end of the trough to a downwardly opening outlet spout; and

a feed screw in the trough that extends outwardly from the trough into the outlet passageway, said feed screw being operable to move particulate material outwardly from the hopper into and through the outlet passageway, to the discharge spout,

whereby a container for receiving particulate material can be positioned under the discharge spout and the feed conveyor can be operate to move particulate material to the discharge spout from which it will discharge into the container.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a drive shaft connected to the feed screw at the end of the feed screw opposite the outlet passageway, said shaft being connectable to a drive that is operable for rotating the drive shaft and feed screw.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, including at least one vibrator attached to the hopper for vibrating the hopper.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, including a plurality of vibrators attached to the hopper for vibrating the hopper.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a support for a horizontally elongated container positioned below the discharge spout, said container having a horizontally elongated inlet, and a horizontally elongated funnel having an inlet at its upper end for receiving particulate material from the spout and an outlet at its lower end for discharging particulate material from the funnel into the inlet of the container.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the support table for the container has a carriage that is movable and is operable for moving the container back and forth below the discharge spout.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a load cell for monitoring the weight of the particulate material in the hopper.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an outer housing in which the hopper is located, said outer housing including a sidewall opening through which the outlet passageway extends, said discharge spout being positioned on the outlet passageway outside of the housing.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising a shaft connected to the feed screw at the end of the feed screw opposite the outlet passageway, said shaft being connectable to a drive motor that is operable for rotating the shaft and feed screw.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the shaft extends outwardly through an opening in a sidewall of the housing, said shaft being connectable to a drive motor outside of the housing that is operable for rotating the shaft and feed screw.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, including at least one vibrator inside the outer housing that is attached to the hopper for vibrating the hopper.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, including a plurality of vibrators inside the housing that are attached to the hopper for vibrating the hopper.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, including a load cell positioned below the outer housing, for measuring the weight of the housing, the hopper and the particulate material in the hopper.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising a support for a horizontally elongated container positioned below the discharge spout, said container being positioned on the support and having a horizontally elongated inlet, and a horizontally elongated funnel having an inlet at its upper end for receiving particulate material from the spout and an outlet at its lower end for discharging particulate material for the funnel into the inlet of the container.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the hopper is constructed from a plastic material.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plastic material is polyurethane.

17. The apparatus of claim 9, comprising a control panel on the housing, including a start/stop control for the feed screw drive motor.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, comprising a variable speed drive for the drive shaft.

19. A method of handling particulate material, comprising:

providing a hopper having a sidewall forming a chamber, an upper end, a lower end and an outlet at the lower end;

providing an outlet passageway leading endwise outwardly from the outlet;

providing a feed conveyor in the bottom of the hopper and extending said feed conveyor into the outlet passageway, said conveyor being adapted to move the particulate material out from the hopper and into and through the outlet passageway when the feed conveyor is rotated;

providing a discharge spout on the end of the outlet passageway opposite the hopper, said discharge spout being adapted to discharge particulate material downwardly;

placing particulate material in the hopper;

operating the feed conveyor to move particulate material out from the hopper, through the outlet passageway to and through the discharge spout; and

positioning a receiving container below the discharge spout in a position to receive particulate material that is moved outwardly from the hopper into the discharge spout.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the particulate material is toner.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the receiving conveyor placed under the outlet spout is a toner cartridge.

22. The method of claim 19, comprising providing at least one vibrator on the hopper for vibrating the hopper for assisting downward movement of the particulate material through the hopper.

23. The method of claim 19, comprising supporting the weight of the hopper and the particulate material in the hopper on a load cell and using the load cell to monitor the amount of particulate material that is discharged from the hopper into the container.

24. The method of claim 19, including providing a receiving container has a horizontally elongated inlet, said method further comprising moving the container back and forth lengthwise of said inlet while the particulate material is being discharged into the container through the discharge spout.

25. The method of claim 23, comprising mounting the container on a carriage and moving the carriage back and forth lengthwise of the inlet in the container while the particulate material is discharging from the hopper into the inlet.