Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Container for non-fluid material – and scattering means – With means generating or supplying gaseous mixing current
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-05
2001-09-18
Scherbel, David A. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Container for non-fluid material, and scattering means
With means generating or supplying gaseous mixing current
C239S676000, C239S678000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290150
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the unloading and distribution of material, e.g., used as ground cover and including bark chips, mulch and the like, from a container, e.g., a truck box, from which the material is fed to a blower which projects the material through a hose, the distal end of which is manipulated to controllably direct the material over a ground cover area. More particularly, it relates to the manner of feeding the material from the container into the distribution apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of bark dust and chips, mulch and other material as ground cover is common and is hereafter sometimes collectively referred to as bark dust or chips. Such materials are purchased by the truck load and spread under trees, around bushes and so on. A method of distribution has been developed wherein a blower system is installed on the back of a bark hauling truck. A feeder bin at the back end overlies a blower tube to which a flexible hose is attached. The bark dust/chips are pushed into the feeder bin and then fed into the air stream of the tube and into and through the hose. An operator directs the distal end of the hose for depositing the material into the desired area. The hose is sufficiently long to enable such distribution of the bark dust/chips substantial distances from the truck, e.g., into a back yard of a residence with the truck sitting in a driveway at the front of the house.
In the prior art, it takes two operators to handle this process. One operator manipulates the discharging end of the hose. The other operator oversees the process of depositing the bark chips into the feeder bin at the end of the truck box. A moving front wall is used to push the material toward the back of the truck box/container but operation of the wall needs to be monitored and controlled as well as monitoring of the material flow into and through the feeder bin, e.g., to unplug the feeder bin inlet should clumps of the material bridge over the inlet and close off flow into the feeder bin.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to obviate the need for the second operator (monitoring flow of the material into the feeder bin). To accomplish this objective, the process of feeding material into the feeder bin needs to be automatic and should anticipate and correct the common problems of feeding too fast or too slow and bridging of the materials across the feeder bin inlet.
In the preferred embodiment, the bridging problem is satisfied by enlarging the opening into the feeder bin and providing a double screw or auger inlet feed for directing flow into the feeder bin. The double screws or auger provide the function of moving material from the sides of the box to the opening into the feeder bin and they cooperatively break up and force material through the system that heretofore caused bridging. This feature will be more clearly understood upon reference to the detailed description.
Controlled feeding is achieved by automating the movement or feeding of the material from the front to the rear of the container, e.g., in response to a detection mechanism or control. In the preferred embodiment, the detection mechanism is a pressure sensing device that senses resistance to movement of the material. Through trial and error as concerns the different materials being distributed, it is known what pressures are too low so as to require the movement to commence and what pressures are too high so as to require the pushing movement to stop for optimum feeding of material into and through the feeder bin. These pressures are entered into a control that starts and stops the movement of material accordingly.
The feeding process from the front to the rear of the truck is preferably accomplished by a moving front wall or alternatively a moving floor, either one or a combination thereof being responsive to the above-mentioned detection mechanism.
The sole operator also has adjustability capabilities so that if he is experiencing too fast or too slow feeding, he can adjust the pressure settings. There are many variations of such controls even as relates to a pressure control as briefly described. Again, such will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description and drawings referred to therein.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4219966 (1980-09-01), McCalister
patent: 4793742 (1988-12-01), Strand
patent: 5125583 (1992-06-01), Strand
patent: 5181804 (1993-01-01), Wysong
patent: 5361711 (1994-11-01), Beyeri
patent: 5556237 (1996-09-01), Rexius
patent: 5590984 (1997-01-01), Assarsson
patent: 5795108 (1998-08-01), Lightle
patent: 6036406 (2000-03-01), Rexius
patent: 6131830 (2000-10-01), Jones
Harrington Robert L.
Nguyen Dinh Q.
Scherbel David A.
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