Abstract: A sewage sludge silo is provided, having a central discharge arm for discharging sludge via a central discharge opening, by means of the discharge arm sweeping across a preferably sloped silo floor, with the discharge arm having upper and lower ends, with the lower end extending forward of the upper end in transverse generally vertical cross-section, as the discharge arm moves in a forward direction across the silo floor. The silo floor can be of multi-layer construction, with one of the layers being molded to facilitate a sloped configuration for the silo floor. The movement of a silo discharge arm can be computer controlled to adjust the speed of the discharge arm to maintain a predetermined or substantially constant rate of discharge of sludge from the silo, with such control being facilitated by appropriate sensor mechanisms.

Abstract: The present invention regards a hopper structure for containing and treating loose material, which includes a tubular section, upper in use, a lower tapered section equipped with a suitable discharge mouth, a support device for at least the upper tubular section, and a guide device designed to allow the lower section to move between a closed position against the upper section and an open position removed from the upper section.

Abstract: A sludge handling system includes at least one bin that receives sewage sludge at an upper end thereof, and that has sloped side wall(s) at the lower end thereof, for directing sewage sludge toward a generally central discharge opening. A rotating discharge device is provided in the form of a thin foil or blade that is rotationally driven to scrape along the sloped side wall(s) of the bin, scraping sludge therefrom, to keep the sludge from adhering to sloped portions of the bin, and to direct sludge out the discharge opening. The rotating discharge device is mounted on and carried by a generally cylindrical rotating table that is motor-driven. A generally cylindrical seal is also carried by the rotating table, and slides along the inside of a sludge discharge chute, at the discharge opening of the bin.

Abstract: A bridge breaker includes a casing and an inner ring. Balls are provided between the casing and the inner ring for rotatably supporting the inner ring, without independent ball bearings, so as to make for easy and cost-effective machining. Seal rings having a square shape section are laid on same horizontal level surfaces of the casing and the inner ring, and are depressed by air pressure for preventing powder from entering into the device and to avoid frequent exchange of packing. A blade having a shaft is fixed to the inner ring through a hole of the inner ring, to prevent problems caused by looseness or releasing of connecting bolts.

Abstract: There is provided a paste application device which can solve problems of an increased exclusively occupied space attributed to an arrangement of a syringe and of deterioration of a tube. In a paste application unit 15 (a paste application device) for applying a paste 7 stored in a syringe 16 to an application target material, a configuration is adopted in which a pump mechanism 18 for sending the paste 7 under pressure is formed by causing a discharge thread portion 32b provided at a lower portion of a rotary member 32 to rotate about an axis AX within a discharge space 31b provided in a casing portion 31, in which a discharge port 17a, which communicates with the discharge space 31b, is provided at an end portion of the casing portion 31, and in which the syringe 16 is disposed coaxially with the rotary member 32 for detachable connection thereto.

Abstract: An apparatus for the metered removal of bulk material from a bin, the apparatus having a top bulk-material-filling opening, bottom bulk-material-removal opening, and a rotor that is connected in a driven manner to at least one sweeping arm disposed inside the bin near the bin's rotationally symmetrical floor and directed towards the removal opening. In order to create an apparatus for the removal of bulk material from a bin in which the mass of the removed bulk material not only can be metered very precisely, but which is also of simple design and easy to maintain, provision is made whereby the sweeping arm is attached on the bottom side of a separating element connected in a driven manner to the rotor, and whereby a settling zone is provided below the separating element in front of the sweeping arm, this zone only being open on one side to the bulk material through a feed opening, and on the other side to the removal opening.

Abstract: A refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet having at least one door, an ice dispenser operatively connected to one of the at least one door having an opening for dispensing ice, an ice storage receptacle for storing ice disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, an ice crusher, an ice transfer mechanism for moving ice from the ice storage receptacle to the ice crusher, an ice chute for conveying ice from the ice crusher to the ice dispenser, and an intrusion barrier positioned within the ice chute to assist in preventing objects entering the ice chute through the ice dispenser from reaching the ice crusher without stopping ice flow through the ice chute. The ice dispenser may include a first switch and a second switch, the first switch being spaced apart from the second switch, and the ice dispenser adapted to require simultaneous activation of the first switch and the second switch to dispense ice.

Abstract: A meniscus of applying fluid is controlled by applying a voltage to a discharge-nozzle side electrode and a counter electrode placed downstream of the discharge nozzle and by increasing or decreasing fluid pressure inside a pump chamber with use of a mechanism for rotational motion or rectilinear motion.

Abstract: An apparatus for the metered removal of bulk material from a bin is described, the apparatus having a top bulk-material-filling opening and bottom bulk-material-removal opening, comprising a rotor that is connected in a driven manner to at least one sweeping arm disposed inside the bin near the bin's rotationally symmetrical floor and directed towards the removal opening. In order to create an apparatus for the removal of bulk material from a bin in which the mass of the removed bulk material not only can be metered very precisely, but which is also of simple design and easy to maintain, provision is made whereby the sweeping arm is attached on the bottom side of a separating element connected in a driven manner to the rotor, and whereby a settling zone is provided below the separating element in front of the sweeping arm, this zone only being open on one side to the bulk material through a feed opening, and on the other side to the removal opening.

Abstract: A fountain for heating and distributing fluidic material is manufactured using various processes and materials. In one embodiment, the fountain includes a heating element encased in an enclosure. A basin containing a medium, such as chocolate, is removably mounted to the enclosure so that the basin is heated by contact with the enclosure. Additionally, an auger having a spiral flight rotates and lifts the melted chocolate upward to a top end of a cylinder that houses the auger. One or more tiers may be mounted, using various locking mechanisms, onto the cylinder to divert flow of the medium. A smaller chocolate fountain that may advantageously be more suitable for home use is also described herein.

Abstract: A modular fountain assembly for controlling the temperature and flow of viscous fluid with a melting point between ambient and approximately 150 degrees Fahrenheit is disclosed. The modular assembly for controlling the heating and flow of fluid includes an enclosed controlling base and an upper recirculation module having a detachable lower basin, one or more modular tubular sections, a small high basin on top of the highest tubular section, an Archimedes screw of a set pitch dimension to facilitate the flow of the fluid from the lower reservoir to the small high reservoir atop the tubular section or sections, and a series of circular tiers atop each tubular section. The lower basin is attached to the controlling base using mechanical or electro mechanical support structures. The controlling base provides rotational force for the Archimedes screw at variable rotational speeds to drive the fluid upward within the modular tubes as well as a heating sub module.

Abstract: Containers for collecting and discharging particulate lignocellulosic material are disclosed, including a cylindrical upper portion, a lower portion tapering towards a bottom elongated space, an exit pipe below the bottom, a pair of parallel screws mounted on parallel shafts in the elongated space in a common horizontal plane for feeding the particulate lignocellulosic material towards the exit pipe, a pair of distributors disposed on the parallel screws above the exit pipe comprising radial discs, and a pump below the exit pipe for transporting the particulate lignocellulosic material to a subsequent step.

Abstract: A metering device for metering dry bulk material contained in a storage container has at least one metering element and a rotary drive connected to the at least one metering element. At least one outlet is provided, and the metering element feeds the dry bulk material to the outlet. The metering element transports the dry bulk material in a direction different from a horizontal direction and comprises at least one helical stay. The outlet has an outlet pipe that extends into the lower area of the storage container. The helical stay interacts with the outlet pipe for effecting transport of the dry bulk material.

Abstract: This invention related to a bearing for the drive ring of a ring drive of a silo reclaimer wherein the bearing is mounted on the drive ring for bearing relation with bearing surface of the ring drive and is made of a plastics bearing material. The plastics bearing material has a coefficient of friction on its bearing surface so as to operate without lubrication in use.

Abstract: A precision dispenser comprising a housing having a longitudinal axis, a chamber therein and an outlet from which a controlled amount of fluid leaves the chamber to be deposited on a surface. An impeller is mounted within the housing about the longitudinal axis thereof and is provided with a plurality of parabolic shaped impeller blades located within the chamber. Fluid is supplied from a source to the spaces between the impeller blades, preferably by a passage extending longitudinally along the impeller to one or more orifices located in the impeller between the blades. The impeller is rotated by a controlled drive motor to rotate the blades within the chamber to force fluid from the chamber through the outlet for delivery to the surface.

Abstract: An enclosed granular or powdered material storage reclaimer, having a floor, a vertical column at the center of the floor, conveyor means disposed below the floor, elongate transfer device hingedly attached to the column, an anchor pedestal for anchoring the bottom end of the column to a footing structure below, and a downwardly directed annular opening formed in the center of the floor, said opening having an inside wall and an outside wall, said annular opening being concentric with the vertical axis of the column and designed to receive granular or powdered material transported there by the elongate transfer device, such that the column may be directly supported by the anchor pedestal and the footing structure, and the conveyor means need not be located directly beneath the center of the column. Such an enclosed granular or powdered material storage reclaimer wherein the conveyor means comprises an air slide conveyor.

Abstract: A collapsible broadcast spreader having a lower frame for supporting a wheel axle, an upper frame pivotally connected to the lower frame for use as a handle for the spreader when the upper frame and lower frame are in an extended position, a hopper also supported by the lower frame and having a materials exit aperture in the hopper, a slide integral with a bottom wall of the hopper, a shut-off plate disposed within the slide, a flexible cable having one end pivotally connected to the shut-off plate and the other end thereof connected to a control lever located on the upper frame for moving the shut-off plate from a closed position to an open position with respect to the aperture, wherein the control cable and the shut-off plate are in-line.

Abstract: An extraction device for extracting a material in particulate form from a reservoir includes an extraction member in the form of a helicoidal winding connected to a motor for driving it in rotation about its central axis. The helicoidal winding is driven so as to sweep it about an axis of sweep along the bottom of the reservoir and the winding may be curved at its distal end so as to sweep along the periphery of the reservoir. The winding may be enclosed within a tubular conduit and a section of the peripheral wall of the reservoir may be provided to cooperate with the helical winding.

Abstract: A machine for delivering a viscous or paste-like foodstuff includes a hopper for receiving the foodstuff, the lower part of which is formed to include a funnel-shaped tapered portion, and a feed sleeve rotatably connected to the lower side of the hopper and having its lower end communicating with the exterior of a machine frame on which the hopper and feed sleeve are rotatably supported. A helical delivery blade is fixedly secured to the frame by a stationary shaft and includes a first blade portion fitted in the feed sleeve and a second blade portion of larger diameter fitted in the lower part of the tapered portion of the hopper, the first and second blade portions being continuous. A first drive mechanism rotates the feed sleeve and a second drive mechanism rotates the hopper in the same direction as the feed sleeve but at a lower speed, thereby producing a speed differential between the hopper and feed sleeve.

Abstract: There is provided a method and apparatus for discharging storage bins within which difficult-to-handle materials are stored, the apparatus including a container adapted to be fixed to the bottom of the storage bin or silo, having horizontally spaced apart parallel shafts disposed within the container for counter-rotational movement therebetween. Working tools are attached to the shafts by radially extending arms and extend toward and substantially up to the side walls of the container. The working tools are double wedge shaped having substantially triangularly shaped sides converging toward each other at their connection to the shafts and converging toward each other to define a forward or leading edge in the direction of rotation of the tool. The bottom surfaces of the tools are recessed from the bottom edges of the triangularly shaped sides.

Abstract: A container for food powders, particularly for automatic beverage distributing machines, comprises a delivering and dosing member revolving inside a duct bearing a delivering mouth which is closed, in non-working conditions, by a plate closing member. The closing member is opened by the delivering and dosing member during its rotational motion.

Abstract: In a rotary feeder for feeding granular material downwardly with gravity assist through a feed aperture: a stationary container having a side wall and having a generally horizontal wall in which the feed aperture is located; a rotatable feed assembly located above the feed aperture, the assembly including a vertical shaft and a plow blade secured to the shaft for contacting granular material and urging it over the edge of the feed aperture; a support fixture fixedly connected to the container, the fixture including a stationary, vertically-elongated, stiff support axle coaxial with the feed assembly shaft; vertically spaced-apart bearings coaxial with the feed assembly shaft and connected to the feed assembly shaft and to the stationary support axle such that the feed assembly is rotatable about a vertical axis relative to the stationary support axle and such that the weight of the feed assembly is supported by the stationary support axle; and a drive device supported independently of the support fixture, the

Abstract: A bulk-storage apparatus has a large hopper adapted to hold a large supply of bulk material and having a floor formed with a central outlet opening centered on a vertical axis and a side wall extending upward from the floor. An upwardly tapered hood generally centered on the axis and open downwardly toward the opening has a lower edge vertically spaced from the floor around the opening. A drive supported in the hood has a rotary output projecting down into the space between the floor and the lower edge above the opening and carries an arm sweepable over the floor around the opening by the drive. The hood is supported in the hopper on at least one tubular traverse having an inner end secured to and opening into the hood and an outer end secured to and opening outside the hopper. This traverse is of a cross-sectional size big enough that a man can crawl between outside the hopper and inside the hood along the traverse. An openable cover closes the traverse between its ends.

Abstract: A plastic metering machine or assembly mounted on a plastic extruder, feeds plastic aggregate material of two different bulk densities simultaneously into the barrel of an extruder. The assembly has a housing which is divided into two compartments or hoppers by a downwardly converging wall which feeds into the mouth of a funnel on the upper end of a feed tube which passes through the lower compartment and terminates at its lower end adjacent to or in the entrance to the extruder. The feed tube has an external auger which, when the feed tube is rotated, meters the material in the lower compartment into the extruder. The feed tube also has outwardly extending arms which form anti-bridging elements for agitating the material in the lower compartment. A blower feeds plastic scrap material to a grinder which also receives sheet plastic scrap material and loose plastic scrap. The ground scrap from the grinder is fed into the lower compartment as the low bulk density material.

Abstract: Device for emptying a vertical, round, bulk-material silo of simplified construction and reduced maintenance and cost of manufacture, and prevention of bulk materials discharged through an annular gap being impeded in its passage through a chute. Motor drive means used for rotation of an associated bucket wheel protected against damage from bulk-material movements.

Abstract: Accurate metering and dispensing of small quantities of abrasive material comprised of particles or powder, or both is accomplished by feed apparatus comprising a rotatable tubular member having a threaded interior surface for transporting the abrasive material through the tubular member in response to rotation of the member about the axis thereof. The discharge portion of the tube is particularly adapted to dispense frequent, small quantities of the material rather than less frequent larger quantities.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for low-dust discharge of particulate material such as grain. The apparatus provides a nozzle having a hollow body with an inlet at the top and an outlet at the bottom. An impeller is mounted inside the body in an outwardly and downwardly flaring region below the inlet. A fluid stream of the particulate material drops through the inlet and impinges on the immpeller which deflects or throws the particles outwardly within the flaring region of the nozzle. The coarser, heavier particles have more outward momentum than the lighter, finer particles and are concentrated toward the wall of the nozzle below the impeller while the lighter, finer particles are concentrated toward the center, so that a rough separation is made and stream density is increased. A compacted downwardly moving mass is accumulated within the nozzle and is discharged through the outlet at controlled rate as a denser, relatively dust-free stream in open air.

Abstract: A gravity assisted feeder is disclosed for feeding flowable solids by means of a rotating blade disposed below a stationary cone. Rotation of the blade causes the solids to move inwardly along the blade to a discharge port adjacent the axis of rotation of the blade. An annular disc is removably supported between the stationary cone and a housing of the feeder. Communication into the feeder is thereby blocked to allow the feeder to be repaired.

Abstract: A gravity assisted feeder is disclosed for feeding flowable solids by means of a rotating blade disposed below a stationary cone. Rotation of the blade causes the solids to move inwardly along the blade to a discharge port adjacent the axis of rotation of the blade.