AU2010235893A1 - Drum Pouring Device - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant(s): Anthony Charles RAAEN Actual Inventor(s): Anthony Charles RAAEN Address for Service: FRASER OLD & SOHN Patent Attorneys PO Box 560 MILSONS POINT NSW 1565 Invention Title: DRUM POURING DEVICE Details of Associated Provisional Applications: 2009 905 072 Dated 19 October 2009 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 5345A-AU 2 DRUM POURING DEVICE Field of the Invention The present invention relates to drums in which liquids such as herbicides and insecticides are sold and stored. In particular the invention relates to a pouring device for such drums. Background Art In many agricultural pursuits it is necessary to apply herbicides or insecticides and this is normally done by adding a concentrated liquid or powder to a tank of water. The concentrate is normally provided in a drum which is typically 20L in volume and therefore for liquid concentrate is in the vicinity of 20 Kg in weight. The water tank is normally elevated to be above the level of a boom spray or similar device. This thereby ensures that any pump which transfers the water and chemical mixture is assisted by gravity priming. Normally the tank opening is in the top of the tank and so it is necessary for the dnun to be lifted above the level of the opening in order to pour the concentrate into the tank. Because chemicals including liquid concentrates are expensive, it is necessary to carefully meter the amount of chemical to be added to the water in order to provide the correct concentration. Too great a concentration of the herbicide or insecticide is a waste of money and too little a concentration may well be ineffective and lead to resistance to the active ingredient arising in the target species. The need to meter the amount of chemical often means that the chemical must be poured into a measuring vessel of some sort. As a consequence, the flow of chemical needs to be carefully controlled, often to within 1-5 ml. Furthermore, it is desirable to be able to repeatedly dispense relatively small quantities of chemical from a drum on different occasions, for example when spraying weeds. Furthermore, such chemicals are normally hazardous, if not poisonous, and therefore care must be taken not to spill or dribble the liquid concentrate. In addition, the operator is often wearing gloves and a face mask (or a respirator device) and thus is 5345A-AU 3 relatively encumbered in terms of manual dexterity. All in all, the pouring of such chemicals is fraught with occupational health and safety difficulties. Similar considerations apply to many non-hazardous materials also sold in drums, typically 20 L drums, such as engine oil and engine coolants Genesis of the Invention The genesis of the present invention is the desire to at least ameliorate the abovementioned difficulties via the provision of a pouring device for drums. Summary of the Invention In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a pouring device for a drum, said device comprising: a frame having a circular track pivotably mounted on the frame and rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis, and a cradle shaped to receive said drum and being rotatably mounted in said track, wherein said drum is rotatable relative to said track and tiltable relative to said horizontal axis. In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a pouring device for a 44 gallon (200 litre) drum, said device comprising a frame having a circular band dimensioned to receive said drum and engage a chine thereof, said band being pivotably mounted on said frame and rotatable about a horizontal axis. Brief Description of the Drawings Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view from the front of a main frame of the pouring device of the first embodiment, Fig. 2 is a perspective view from one side showing the sub-frame which cooperates with the main frame of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the sub-frame of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the main frame of Fig. 1 with the sub-frame of Fig. 2 received therein and a rectangular 20L drum positioned in the sub-frame and tilted, 5345A-AU 4 Fig. 5 is a front elevation showing the frame of Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a front elevation similar to Fig. 5 but showing the tilted drum rotated, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view similar to that of Fig. 1 but illustrating a pouring frame of a second embodiment Detailed Description As seen in Figs. I to 6, the pouring device 1 of the first embodiment consists of a main frame 2 as illustrated in Fig. 1 and a cradle or sub-frame 3 as illustrated in Fig. 2. The main frame 2 has two pairs of legs 5, 6. Each pair consists of two uprights 7 joined by a cross brace 8. The pairs of legs 5, 6 are pivoted together so as to be movable between a V-shaped operational configuration as illustrated in Fig. 1, and a substantially flat or planar transport configuration in which the uprights 7 are essentially coplanar. The legs 5, 6 are mounted for pivotal movement about a substantially horizontal axis 9. Preferably a chain, not illustrated, extends between the legs 5, 6 on each side so as to limit the extent of the abovementioned V-shape. Also rotatably mounted relative to the horizontal axis 9 is a circular track 12 which can be tilted or pivoted as indicated by the double headed arrow in Fig. 1. The track 12 can be tilted so as to move between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane and in the transport configuration the track 12 and uprights 7 are substantially coplanar. Turning now to Figs. 2 and 3, the cradle or sub-frame 3 is illustrated and takes the form of an upper rectangular band 14 and a lower rectangular band 15 which are maintained in their spaced apart relationship by means of four struts 16. The sub frame 3 is provided with a floor formed by two bearers 17. Spaced around the upper rectangular band 14 are four journals 19 each of which supports a corresponding wheel 20. The sub-frame 3 is also provided with a handle 21. As seen in Figs. 4 to 6, the cradle or sub-frame 3 is able to be rotatably mounted in the track 12 since the wheels 20, which have a re-entrant profile, can be engaged with the track 12. A 20L rectangular drum 25 (indicated by broken lines in the drawings) is inserted into the sub-frame 3 and an elasticized securing strap 26 (indicated by dot dash lines in the drawings) is passed under the handle 27 of the drum 25. The drum 5345A-AU 5 25 also has a cap 28 with a knurled exterior which closes the pouring opening of the drum 25. In Fig. 5, the drum 25 is shown with the cap 28 in the "9 o'clock" position. In order to commence pouring, the drum 25 would normally be orientated by moving the handle 21 so as to rotate the sub-frame 3 and thereby located the cap 28 at the "12 o'clock" position. In this position a full drum of liquid can be slowly tilted from the vertical towards the horizontal and thereby allow the liquid to be poured out of the drum orifice without glugging. This motion is achieved by raising the handle 21 so as to tilt the track 12 about the horizontal axis 9. As the level of liquid within the drum 25 reduces, so the handle 21 can be rotated so as to place the pouring opening in the 9 o'clock position as illustrated in Fig 5 or at the 7 o'clock position as illustrated in Fig. 6. This movement of the sub-frame 3 around the track 12 allows adjustment to be made to the vertical distance between the drum orifice and the opening of the various water tanks. Furthermore, depending on whether the operator is left or right handed, so the handle 21 can be moved to one side or the other at the convenience of the operator to adjust the height (o'clock position) of the drum orifice. This may involve removing the drum 25 from the cradle or sub-frame, rotating the drum 25 by 90 degrees or 180 degrees relative to the sub-frame 3, and then repositioning the drum 25 within the sub frame 3. Turning now to Fig. 7, a second embodiment is illustrated in which the main frame 2 is essentially as before but the track 12 is either dimensioned so as to receive a 44 gallon (200 litres) drum 125 or is formed as a split band 112 which can clamp a 44 gallon (200 litres) drum and enable same to be tilted with its pouring orifice 128 uppermost. The foregoing describes only two embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, although a round 20L drum and a rectangular 20L drum will fit within the same cradle 3, the bands 14 and 5345A-AU 6 15 can be made cylindrical so as to adapt the sub-frame 3 to different sized round drums. Similarly, a cage can be positioned within the cradle to accommodate 5L and IOL drums. The term "comprising" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of "including" or "having" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of. 5345A-AU

Claims (10)

1. A pouring device for a drum, said device comprising: a frame having a circular track pivotably mounted on the frame and being rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis, and a cradle shaped to receive said drum being rotatably mounted in said track, wherein said drum is rotatable relative to said track and tiltable relative to said horizontal axis.

2. The device as claimed in claim I wherein said cradle comprises a sub-frame shaped to mate with the shape of said drum.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 wherein a plurality of spaced apart wheels engageable with said track are connected to said sub-frame.

4. The device as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein said sub-frame includes a handle extending therefrom.

5. The device as claimed in any one of claims I to 4 wherein said frame comprises two pairs of legs pivotable about said horizontal axis and arranged in a V-shaped configuration.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 wherein each said pair of legs comprise two uprights and a cross brace.

7. The device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 and including a securing device to hold said drum in said cradle.

8. A device as claimed in claim 7 wherein said securing device comprises a releasable flexible strap.

9. A pouring device for a 44 gallon (200 litre) drum, said device comprising a frame having a circular band dimensioned to receive said drum and engage a chine thereof, said band being pivotably mounted on said frame and rotatable about a horizontal axis. 5345A-AU 8

10. A pouring device for a drum, said device being substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. I to 6 or Fig. 7 of the drawings. Dated this 5* day of October 2010 ANTHONY CHARLES RAAEN By FRASER OLD & SOHN Patent Attorneys for the Applicants 5345A-AU