Road structure – process – or apparatus – Apparatus – Material distribution means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-01
2002-10-15
Bagnell, David (Department: 3673)
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Apparatus
Material distribution means
C404S108000, C414S503000, C414S504000, C414S505000, C414S508000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06464426
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to the field of dispensing systems and is particularly concerned with an adjustable dispensing system for mounting on the front end of transportation vehicles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
There exists a variety of situations wherein it is desirable to transport loose bulk material such as gravel, loose salt, rocks or the like to a specific site and dispense the material at a predetermined location according to a predetermined dispensing pattern. For example, gravel and compacted stones are often required for the construction of roads, driveways and the like. Such loose bulk material is also often spread alongside the peripheral border of highways, country roads and the like.
So called dump trucks are typically used for transporting the loose bulk or granular material from a quarry or purchasing site to a dispensing site. Once at the dispensing site the truck dumps the load of material at the location nearby the worksite. The load is then shoveled to the actual worksite. This two-step procedure is not only tedious and time consuming but also leads to waste of construction material.
These problems have been heretofore recognized and, hence, several vehicle dispensing systems have been disclosed in the prior art. One particular popular prior art system includes a hopper strap on the back of a dump truck. The conveyor runs from the bottom of the hopper, out the back of dump truck, to a spreader suspended at the end of the conveyor.
While the above modification to existing dump trucks facilitates their conversion for dispensing granular material such as gravel or for sanding purposes in the wintertime, it will be appreciated that the visibility of the rear mounted spreading apparatus is limited with respect to the driver of the vehicle. Indeed, there is no ability for the driver to inspect the material carried by the conveying system during spreading. Also, frequently, the operator cannot see activities behind the truck because the body of the truck may block the view. This creates a considerable potential for injury to people located nearby the truck. Furthermore, regardless of the type of dispensing system used, rear dispensing trucks must be backed up to a worksite such that the front end of the truck may block traffic or otherwise interfere with the surrounding environment.
Another main drawback associated with prior art structures relates to the lack of versatility with regards to the configuration dispensing spray pattern. Indeed, most prior art devices using conveyors as dispensing systems have conveyors belts with either a flat or generally concave cross-sectional configuration. The configuration of the conveyor belt adjacent the discharge end thereof is fixed and, hence, the dispensing system can only create one type of spray pattern. This lack of versatility in the type of dispensing spray patterns often leads to the necessity for second step maneuvers such as requiring further processing of the dispensed material with rakes or other machinery. The lack of versatility in the type of dispensing spray pattern also leads to a lack of versatility in the type of dispensing operations they can perform. In other words, they are not adapted to vary their operational characteristics according to the type of work being needing to be performed. For example, while some prior art devices are capable of forming a dispensing spray pattern suitable for sanding roads, the same type of device is inadequate for dispensing gravel alongside the roads.
A still further disadvantage related to prior art devices, is that most of them suffer from limited adjustability in the spatial positioning of the discharge area. Indeed, the discharge area of most prior art devices is often in a fixed relationship relative to the vehicle on which the dispensing device is mounted. This, in turn, also leads to the need for additional processing of the material once sprayed or for the need for complicated driving maneuvers.
Furthermore, most prior art devices are so configured that they can only be used for dispensing purposes without any concomitant processing of the discharged material. In some situations such as when gravel is being spread alongside roads it is often desirable to even the top surface of the gravel by a plough or other means so as to form a generally smooth surface. Typically, the prior art systems unsuited for performing any type of processing on the material being dispensed require that a second vehicle even the gravel once the latter has been sprayed, again creating a costly two step procedure.
Still further, some of the prior art vehicle dispensing systems, form a relatively bulky and cumbersome structure when not in use and, thus, substantially impair the maneuverability of the vehicle to which they are attached. Also, some of the prior art vehicle dispensing systems are relatively mechanically complex leading to lack of reliability and high maintenance costs.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved dispensing system for flowable material transportation vehicles.
The proposed invention allows for the provision of a front discharge material transporting and dispensing vehicle. The proposed system is specifically designed so as to be mounted to the front end of a transportation vehicle such as a truck so as to allow for improved visibility of the material as it is being dispensed. The mounting of the device to the front of the vehicle also reduces the risks of accidents and increases the ergonomic features of the dispensing operation.
The proposed system also allows for the creation of various discharge spray patterns and for the relatively precise positioning of the discharge outlet, increasing the overall versatility of system and reducing the need for further processing of the dispensed material. The proposed system is provided with optional built-in ploughing means for allowing processing of the material being dispensed by the same vehicle on which the system is mounted again increasing the overall versatility of system and reducing the need for further processing of the dispensed material.
Still further, the proposed device is specifically designed so as to be manufacturable using conventional forms of manufacturing thus providing thus providing a dispensing system which will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention,there is a material dispensing system for use with a flowable material delivering vehicle, the vehicle defining a vehicle front end and a vehicle rear end, the vehicle including a vehicle frame mounted on wheels, an operator cab mounted on the vehicle frame adjacent the vehicle front end, a material container mounted on the vehicle frame rearwardly relative to the operator cab, the material container having a bottom wall defining a container outlet aperture, a blocking gate for selectively blocking the container outlet aperture, the material dispensing system comprising: a fixed conveyor means, the fixed conveyor means being attached to the vehicle so as to extend from a position substantially underneath the container outlet aperture to a position located adjacent the vehicle front end, the fixed conveyor means defining a frontwardly positioned fixed conveyor discharge section; a dispensing adapter for selectively dispensing the flowable material emanating from the fixed conveyor discharge section at a predetermined location according to a predetermined dispensing pattern.
In one embodiment of the invention, a first dispensing adapter includes a pivotable conveyor means, the pivotable conveyor means having a generally elongated configuration defining a pivotable conveyor first end and a pivotable conveyor second end, the pivotable conveyor first end being pivotally attached to an aligning structure, the aligning structure being pivotally attached to the vehicle adjacent the vehicle front end; first pivoting means for pivoting the aligning structure about a substantially vertical first pivotal axis between a working positio
Bagnell David
Mitchell Katherine
LandOfFree
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