Excavating – Scoop or excavating and transporting container
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-24
2001-02-06
Will, Thomas B. (Department: 3671)
Excavating
Scoop or excavating and transporting container
C037S412000, C037S435000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182384
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for excavating and moving earth and, more particularly, to a tiltable bucket that rides on wheels and is adaptable for pulling behind a tractor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The excavation of earth, including soil, rock, and other matter, is a task common to numerous enterprises, particularly farming. In farming operations, it is often necessary to grade the land, remove soil from raised areas, and fill in soil in lower areas. Various equipment have been employed to achieve these ends.
Backhoes and other similar vehicles, for example, have an extendible arm adapted for attachment to a bucket. The backhoe with the attached bucket can be used to excavate soil from a first location. The backhoe can then be moved to a second location where the soil can be dumped. The size of the bucket in such backhoes and similar vehicles, and therefore the amount of soil that can be worked at one time, is generally small relative to the overall size of the vehicle. This is because the entire weight of the arm, bucket, and soil is born by the vehicle.
Previous equipment were deficient in that they were not designed to remove a relatively small depth of soil (e.g., a few inches) from a relatively large area. They were not designed for grading. Rather, such equipment were principally designed for removing a quantity of soil, roughly equivalent to the capacity of the bucket, from a small area. Similarly, previous equipment have not been designed to evenly distribute the accumulated soil over a relatively large area such that the maximum increase in soil depth in any one location is controlled. There is a need therefore for an efficient farming implement capable of removing a relatively small depth of soil from a relatively large area and transporting the accumulated soil to a second area where the soil can be either dumped or spread out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a tiltable bucket assembly with a working edge on the leading end of the bucket and a forward extending extension arm, a support arm, a first wheel, a bucket-rotational member, a bucket-pivoting member, a bucket-linking arm, and a displacement body having an output shaft disposed therein. The support arm is connected at one end to the first wheel and extends forward from the first wheel. The extension arm is connected to the support arm at a point away from the first wheel. The bucket-rotational member is attached at one end to the bucket at a point away from the working edge. The other end of the bucket-rotational member is linked to the first wheel so that vertical displacement of the first wheel results in a substantially equivalent vertical displacement of the other end of the bucket-rotational member.
The bucket-linking arm is coupled at one end to the bucket at a rotational center-point positioned above the working edge. The output shaft is coupled at one end to the bucket-pivoting member while the other end moves within the displacement body. Movement of the output shaft causes the rotation of the bucket and therefore the transitioning of the assembly between a grading mode, a dumping mode, and a conveying mode.
In the grading mode, the leading edge normally engages a surface to be worked with the output shaft positioned in a normal position. Decreased displacement of the output shaft from the normal position causes the clockwise rotation of the bucket around the rotational center-point into the dumping mode. Increased displacement of the output shaft from the normal position causes the counter-clockwise rotation of the bucket around the rotational center-point into the conveying mode.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a tiltable bucket assembly is provided that additionally has a second wheel that is positioned away from the leading edge and preferably adjacent the point where the bucket-rotational member is attached to the bucket. The second wheel is positioned such that when the bucket is rotated into the conveying mode the second wheel is in contact with the surface to be worked.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, a tiltable bucket assembly is provided that additionally has both a second wheel and a third wheel. The second wheel is again positioned away from the leading edge and adjacent the point where the bucket-rotational member is attached to the bucket such that when the bucket is rotated into the conveying mode the second wheel is in contact with the surface to be worked. The third wheel is connected to the support arm at a point away from the first wheel. The bucket-rotational member is attached at one end to the bucket at a point away from the working edge while the other end is rotatably attached to the support arm.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2063698 (1936-12-01), Roe
patent: 2111134 (1938-03-01), Allin
patent: 2223829 (1940-12-01), Le Bleu
patent: 2255240 (1941-09-01), Bird
patent: 2269502 (1942-01-01), Wilson et al.
patent: 2273875 (1942-02-01), Livesay et al.
patent: 2280439 (1942-04-01), McLean
patent: 2329210 (1943-09-01), McGee
patent: 2350327 (1944-06-01), Ender
patent: 2398991 (1946-04-01), Arps
patent: 2443884 (1948-06-01), Arps
patent: 2529159 (1950-11-01), Hyler
patent: 2554698 (1951-05-01), Evans
patent: 2587869 (1952-03-01), Marshall
patent: 2788138 (1957-04-01), Stueland
patent: 3427735 (1969-02-01), Martin
patent: 3445946 (1969-05-01), Striggow
patent: 3483644 (1969-12-01), Potgieter
patent: 3501856 (1970-03-01), Martin
patent: 4308677 (1982-01-01), Behm
patent: 4389800 (1983-06-01), Goby
patent: 4906161 (1990-03-01), Weyer
patent: 5145313 (1992-09-01), Weyer
patent: 5265355 (1993-11-01), Daniels
Howrey Simon Arnold & White , LLP
Markovich Kristine M.
Will Thomas B.
LandOfFree
Wheeled grading bucket does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Wheeled grading bucket, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Wheeled grading bucket will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2559587