TRICKLING DEVICE

Abstract

In a trickling apparatus (1) for producing thin vertical surfaces of a pressure-sensitive trickling material that floats downwards, the trickling material is received in a supply container (2) having an electrically driven roller (5) located underneath or in the supply container. The roller (5) has a smooth surface (8) and cams (9) on said surface that pick up and release the trickling material. When the roller or the tube (5) rotates, the material trickles into the open through the opening (4) in the base of the supply container (2).

Description

The invention relates to an elongate trickling apparatus for producing thin vertical surfaces of pressure-sensitive material that floats downwards, in particular artificial snow, confetti and/or glitter particles, in indoor spaces over a relatively long period of time whilst maintaining consistent quality, in particular for decorative or presentation purposes using the most simple and cost-effective means and whilst eliminating the potential for all disturbances as far as possible, for stalls, for display windows and as a visual effect for appropriate events.

Snow machines for theatre stages and TV sets are known. The effect of snow that trickles downwards (artificial snow or white confetti) is produced across the surface of a scene using meshes in pull rods or using fans which are filled by hand. There are also snow machines on the market which produce flakes by means of a snow fluid that are likewise distributed by means of fans across the desired surfaces and then disintegrate on the ground, leaving practically no residue behind. These solutions are not suited to being used, or even cannot be used at all, as envisaged here on stalls or in display windows.

WO 2013/174374 A1 discloses a precipitation simulator that has a collecting surface onto which the precipitates can fall, and a tube that extends from the lowest point of the collecting surface to a transporting device and from this point upwards as far as a nozzle. By means of the transporting device, the precipitate can be transported to the nozzle at the upper end of the tube where it can be released via outlet openings in the nozzle. An ionization system arranged on the nozzle prevents the outlet holes from becoming clogged.

US 2004/0056110 A1 discloses a machine for creating the illusion of snow, in which a liquid solution is pumped to a generator that produces flakes and the flakes produced are then distributed by means of a whirling air current generated by the fan.

An apparatus known from GB 907 704 A for producing artificial snow comprises an elongate box that is cuboid in cross section and into which snow material is filled. On two opposite sides, the box has slit-shaped openings which extend across the entire length of the box and out of which snow material can trickle when the box is rotated about its longitudinal axis by means of a motor.

GB 2 460 171 A discloses an apparatus for generating snowfall that has an elongate, tubular container into which the snow material is filled. The container comprises a plurality of openings by means of which the snow material can trickle out when openings are formed downwardly in an outlet position by rotating the container by means of a drive.

If an attempt is made to produce a circuit which constantly sucks the trickling material from the ground and transports it upwards through pipes by means of a fan in order for it to then be again trickled downwards therefrom, the problem arises that all materials having attractive floating properties, such as artificial snow or glitter, glide poorly along a surface. The gliding surface necessary for delivering material of this kind back to the suction device therefore has to be very steep. This requires a corresponding construction height and a surface above said glide surface that will let the material through, such as gratings. This requires a substructure that considerably restricts the use of such apparatuses and, for a number of reasons, even makes it impossible to use them. Furthermore, a powerful air current is required to transport the material a few metres upwards. This generates noise, which is also highly undesirable, in the case of snowfall for example, and entails high risks of disturbances caused by clogging, the supply being interrupted, lack of homogeneity, static charge, etc. Furthermore, the wider the vertical surface desired, the more difficult it is to produce one that is visually uniform.

The materials for a thin vertical precipitation surface (mainly artificial snow and glitter) that are intended here are most visually effective if they have particularly good floating properties. The artificial snow consists, for example, of very light plastics flakes (known in specialist circles as “Hollywood snow”) that are highly pressure-sensitive and cluster together very easily. As a result, the clusters no longer float to the ground; rather, they fall to the ground. The same applies to the most attractive and most effective glitter particles, which, for this reason, have previously only been used in “glitter cannons”, accordingly filled fireworks or by hand in conjunction with fans, and which can therefore only be used to intermittent effect and in the form of large clouds, but not in the form of thin, uniformly trickling surfaces over a relatively long period of time.

For this reason, none of the known trickling apparatuses and dosing apparatuses are suitable for loose material for the purpose intended here on the additional basis that, in such apparatuses, according to the operating principle of pumps, the trickling material is picked up by rollers or cylinders in open spaces and pressed or squashed on the edge of the housing.

The object of the invention is to provide an elongate trickling apparatus having a supply container for pressure-sensitive trickling material, such as artificial snow and glitter particles, for producing, as a visual effect, thin vertical surfaces of material that floats downwards for stalls, display windows and for appropriate events, which apparatus can be produced using the simplest of means, whilst eliminating the potential for disturbances as far as possible, is as flexible and versatile as possible, can be used with as little restriction as possible, and allows for the trickling material to be released without risk of it being squashed or compacted and without pressure being applied to the trickling material.

In the application having the application number 10 2014 104 123.2, the object is achieved by the trickling material being received in a supply container having an electrically driven hollow roller that is located underneath said container, has a smooth surface, and receives and releases the trickling material via holes in the surface. When the roller rotates, the material trickles into the roller via the upper holes and into the open via the lower holes. At no point is the trickling material transported mechanically; it trickles out of the supply container by itself by force of gravity and through the slowly rotating roller into the open, and from there it floats to the ground.

It has been shown that there is trickling material that is so large-flaked and light that it is not able to trickle through hollow rollers by itself. It has also been shown that there is light, large-flaked trickling material that forms blockages in the supply container above the rotating roller and thus forms “bridges”. The “bridges” thus formed then prevent the trickling material from getting into the roller. The trickling effect is thus disrupted.

The object of the invention is therefore to eliminate the stated drawback and provide a trickling apparatus of the type indicated that allows for large-flaked, light trickling material to trickle without disruption.

This object is achieved by a trickling apparatus having the features indicated in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the trickling apparatus are indicated in the dependent claims.

The embodiments of the trickling apparatus according to the invention are based on the following considerations:

A:

In order for large flakes to trickle in a uniform manner, small cams are arranged on the sealed roller, instead of holes. The cams transport individual flakes through the brush strips into the open, which produces a lasting and highly uniform trickling effect.

B:

In order to prevent the formation of bridges of large-flaked trickling material in the supply container, a tube having rods arranged perpendicularly to the rotational axis are used instead of the hollow roller, which tube keeps the trickling material moving in the supply container. The rotational axis is positioned at the height of the lower edge of the brushes.

C:

If the axis of the tube having the rods arranged perpendicularly thereto is moved in its entirety into the supply container, the supply container is no longer downwardly closed off. In the base of the supply container, there are openings which are precisely adapted to each trickling material. Said holes are of just the right size such that the trickling material does not fall through by itself when the apparatus is not in operation; rather, it is only transported into the open by the rods of the “agitator” that slide past. The base can comprise individually formed openings or can consist of a grate having the appropriate grid, the latter being technically less complex. Highly uniform trickling effects, using even the most problematic trickling materials, are thus achieved.

These variants of the trickling apparatus are thus very well suited to even the most problematic of trickling materials. In order to prevent the trickling material from being released in an uncontrolled manner, the supply container is closed off either by brush strips that sweep over the smooth surface of the roller or of the tube or by appropriate openings in the base of the supply container.

Only very little material is necessary for a uniform image and for a fascinating visual effect, meaning that the material in the supply container can easily last for a whole day. The shape of the supply container and the arrangement of the drive unit are designed such that individual modules can be joined side-by-side without any gaps. The length and the height of the vertical visual effect surface are thus limitless. The supply container can be filled quickly and easily by hand. It is also conceivable to suspend the trickling apparatus using cords and small rollers such that it can be lowered for filling. It is also conceivable to equip the supply container with a commercially available suction means having a long flexible hose, such that the trickling material on the ground can be sucked up and sent directly back into the supply container.

The invention is described in greater detail in the following with reference to embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross section of a trickling apparatus according to concept A,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the trickling apparatus according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a cross section of the arrangement according to concept B,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the trickling apparatus according to FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a cross section of a trickling apparatus according to concept C,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the trickling apparatus according to FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a cross section of a further embodiment of a trickling apparatus according to the invention,

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the trickling apparatus according to FIG. 7.

In the following description of the figures, the same reference numerals are used for parts that correspond to one another.

The trickling apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 comprises a supply container 2 that is open at the top, has a cuboid basic shape and is intended for receiving trickling material. The supply container 2 is tapered in the shape of a funnel at its lower end by sloped base walls 3 and comprises, at its lowest point, a rectangular, slit-shaped opening 4 that extends in the longitudinal direction.

Underneath the opening 4, there is a roller 5 that is rotatably mounted on the end walls 6 of the supply container 2, which are extended downwards beyond the opening 4, and that can be driven by an electric motor 7 attached to the supply container 2. The roller 5 is sealed at its surface, has a cylindrical roller surface 8 and is provided with a smooth roller surface on its exterior. A plurality of pin-like protrusions or cams 9 are attached to the roller 5 and are arranged at a regular distance from one another.

The rotational axis of the roller 5 extends in parallel with the longitudinal edges of the opening 4, and there are gaps between the longitudinal edges and the roller surface that are closed off by flexible sealing elements 10. The sealing elements 10 are secured to the edges of the opening 4 and have portions that abut the roller surface 8 and are formed by brushes 11. The purpose of the sealing elements 10 is to retain trickling material carried along by the roller 5 when said roller rotates. The cams 9 pick up individual flakes during the rotational movement and transport them through the sealing elements 10 into the open.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show a trickling apparatus 101 which is appropriate in particular for large-flaked trickling material and in which the roller 5 consists of a comparatively thin, cylindrical tube from which rods 14 oriented at right angles to the rotational axis and arranged at a distance from one another protrude. The exposed length of the rods 14 corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the roller 5. The rods can thus be freely moved through the brushes 11 of the sealing elements 10 provided that the brushes 11 are provided with bristles of an appropriate length. As in the trickling apparatus 1, the rotational axis of the roller is, here too, located underneath the opening 4, approximately in the line of intersection of two planes that extend the base walls 3.

In the trickling apparatus 201 shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the roller 5 designed similarly to the trickling apparatus 101 is located above the opening 4 inside the supply container 2. The opening 4 is closed off by a grate 15, the openings of which are of such a size that the trickling material in the supply container 2 does not fall through the grate openings by itself when the apparatus is not in operation. However, when the roller 5 is rotated, the agitation of the trickling material thus provoked causes the material to pass through the grate 15 in doses, as is favourable for the effect of snow.

In the trickling apparatus 301 shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the supply container 2 is provided with a flat base wall 3 that comprises slit-shaped openings 304 that extend perpendicularly to the rotational axis of the roller 5 at a regular distance from one another. The openings 304 are each located underneath a point on the roller 5 which is provided with two diametrical rods 14. Here, the length of the rods 14 is greater than the distance of the roller 5 from the base wall 3 such that, when the roller 5 rotates, the ends of the rods 14 penetrate the openings 304 and the rods are pushed therethrough. In this way, the rods 14 cause the trickling material to be actively fed through the openings 304.

Claims

1. Trickling apparatus for pressure-sensitive trickling material, which is intended for producing, as a visual effect, thin vertical, curtain-like surfaces of material that floats downwards, and which has a supply container (2) for the trickling material, an elongate slit-shaped opening (4) formed on the lower end of the supply container (2) for releasing the trickling material, a roller (5) that is located underneath or above the slit-shaped opening (4), is driven by a motor, is rotatable about a rotational axis and has substantially a smooth and sealed roller surface (8) on which a plurality of small cams (9) or rods (14) are arranged that protrude from the roller surface (8).

2. Trickling apparatus according to claim 1, comprising flexible sealing elements (10) that are arranged on the longitudinal edges of the slit-shaped opening (4), which extend in the direction of the rotational axis, slide on the roller surface (8) and are designed to avoid the cams (9) or rods (14) or have recesses in the region of the movement paths of the cams (9) or rods (14).

3. Trickling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of elongate slit-shaped openings is formed on the lower end of the supply container (2), which are of such a size that the trickling material in the supply container does not trickle through the openings by itself when the apparatus is not in operation, the rotatable roller (5) being arranged inside the supply container (2) and above the slit-shaped openings in such a way that trickling material is transported through the openings into the open by the rods (14) sliding past.

4. Trickling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein elongate slit-shaped openings (304) are formed on the lower end of the supply container and each extend in the direction of the movement path of a rod (14) associated with the slit-shaped opening (304), and wherein the rods (14) are moved through the openings (304) when the roller (5) is rotated.