Conveyors: fluid current – Ambulant or portable – Vehicle mounted
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-05
2001-06-19
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: fluid current
Ambulant or portable
Vehicle mounted
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247876
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to particulate matter transport device and, more particularly, to a portable, gas-powered, general purpose, pneumatic transport device.
2. Description of the Related Art
From large-scale industrial operations down to residential home situations, many people are faced with transporting large volumes of materials from place to place. Among these materials is the category that includes granular and similar substances such as sawdust, leaves, sand, dirt and other similar materials that typically requires the use of a range of equipment from shovels and wheel barrows to front-end loaders and dump trucks, depending upon the amount of material being moved. In either case, the task is burdensome in the sense that several repetitious operations are required in order to complete the job.
Furthermore, these methods make it difficult to move the materials in a complete manner, especially in the case of granular substances, due to the inability of the equipment to pick up the material completely. As a result, these operations suffer from inefficiencies that result in wasted time and, in the industrial setting, wasted money. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which these materials can be transported efficiently and completely, thus minimizing the time and costs associated therewith.
Conventional material transport means tend to suffer from the aforementioned draw backs in part due to the extremely small size of individual pieces of material. The use of large shovels and front-end loaders makes it virtually impossible to do a complete job and tend to slow the process due to the repetitive nature of these operations.
In the previous art, several patents disclose portable blowers used to feed cellulose insulation into a building structure. These include U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,033, issued in the name of Miller et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,307, issued in the name of Deitesfeld, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,338, issued in the name of Mudgett.
Several patents disclose blower systems used to transport granular materials typically stored in silos such as corn, grain, etc. However, these devices are generally mounted in a permanent manner near or upon the silo itself. These include U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,133, issued in the name of Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,412, issued in the name of Shakshober, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,227, issued in the name of Shakshober et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,174, issued in the name of Wild, discloses a sawdust removal apparatus for collecting dust from power tools. While this device is not directly related to the present invention, it is included for reference purposes.
The problem with many of these devices is that the particulate matter must be manually fed into the main housing of the invention, thus still requiring significant manual labor on the part of the operator. No easy means of transporting the material from the pile to the invention is disclosed. Also, many of these devices are electrically powered, and necessitate use of the invention near an electrical outlet. Thus, the scope of application is severely limited.
Many of these devices rely on gravity feeding to place the particulate matter into the device before it is pneumatically moved to another location. This type of configuration increases the risk of blockages of the inlets into the device.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus and method which overcome the problems cited above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved portable, gas-powered, general purpose, pneumatic transport device that facilitates the movement of particulate matter from one location to another without the necessity of shoveling the material either between the two locations or from the first location into the transport device.
Briefly described according to one embodiment of the present invention, a portable, gas-powered, general purpose, pneumatic transport device is disclosed, comprising a pneumatic transfer system in which a gas powered engine is used to drive a high-volume blower system.
The present invention acts as a pump that is capable of moving a variety of substances from place to place with a minimum amount of time and effort and in a complete manner, due to its continuous, high-volume transfer rate.
It is envisioned that the present invention consists of a suction tube and a discharge tube, both being of a flexible, linearly elongated, hollow configuration.
The main body of the present invention is of a generally rectangular configuration, with an internal cavity into which the granular material passes. Attached to the upper surface of the main body is a gas powered engine of otherwise conventional two or four stroke design, designed to function as both a suction device and a blower device. A power transfer means, such as a drive belt or steel pulley, is connected to the gas powered engine, and functions to turn a rotary blade, said rotary blade located in the main body.
A control means is located on the external surface of the main body, and is designed to permit multi-speed applications of the gas powered engine. As such, the suction and blowing capacity of the present invention can be adjusted according to the density of the particulate material.
It is envisioned that a plurality of wheels are positioned on the lower surface of the main body, thus facilitating ease of movement of the present invention and eliminating the necessity of carrying the main body to and from its operating location.
The present invention is designed such that the rotary blade does not come into contact with the granular material, thus reducing the risk of clogging of the cavities and explosion from sparks.
The rotary blade provides both the suction, bringing particulate matter into the main body, and acts as a compressed air blower, forcing air outward through the blower tube.
An air intake is located in the main body, and is designed to facilitate the transfer of air from the main body to the discharge tube.
The main body has a suction inlet and a blower discharge outlet. The suction tube is releasable secured to the suction inlet, and the blower tube is releasably secured to the blower discharge outlet. In operation, the device acts as a high-volume transfer system by directing the suction tube to the material that is to be moved and directing the discharge tube to the destination, whether it be a transfer vehicle or another location. It is envisioned that the present invention will be constructed in a variety of sizes and configurations that will accommodate both home and industrial use.
It is envisioned that the main body be comprised of material selected from the group comprising metal and plastic, with the suction tube and discharge tube being constructed of a material selected from the group comprising rubber or plastic.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device that can be used on many granular and powdered substances, such as sand, dirt, flour, leaves, mulch, grass and sawdust.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device that provides for a continuous, high-volume transfer rate of material.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device that eliminates the use of shovels and heavy equipment for the removal of material from one location to another or from the original pile to the device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device that completely removes materials, by providing a strong source of suction and discharge power.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for a device that does not use gravity to facilitate movement of the particulate matter.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for a device that is lightweight and portable, thus facilitating transport to a variety of locations.
Descriptive Key
10
a portable, gas-powered, ge
Dillon, Jr. Joe
Ellis Christopher P.
Gugliotta John
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