CA2706803A1

CA2706803A1 - Portable materials handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: CA2706803A1
Application number: CA 2706803
Authority: CA
Inventors: Mortie Cox
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-06-14
Filing date: 2010-06-14
Publication date: 2011-12-14

Abstract

A portable materials handling apparatus which has a base, an elongated materials conveyor and a hopper. The materials conveyor has an intake end and a discharge end and is pivotally mounted to the base for pivotal movement between an operative position and a transport position. The pivotal movement is about a fulcrum positioned in an intermediate position between the intake end and the discharge end, such that the materials conveyor pivots like a teeter-totter. The hopper is fixed to and movable with the intake end of the materials conveyor.

Description

TITLE
[0001] Portable materials handling apparatus FIELD

[0002] There is described a materials handling apparatus in which a materials conveyor feeds materials to or from a hopper.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Canadian Patent Application 2,404,801 (Cox) entitled "powdered Materials Metering Apparatus" describes a materials handling apparatus that has a materials conveyor which is used to provide powdered materials from a hopper. This materials handling apparatus was developed to deliver powdered weight enhancing chemicals, such as barite, to mud tanks used to mix drilling fluids in a metered fashion. When the materials handling apparatus was put into service some problems were discovered. One problem was that powdered materials were lost due to leakage at a hopper and materials conveyor interface.
Another problem was moisture incursion at the hopper and materials conveyor interface, which resulted in the powdered materials clumping and disrupted the accurate metered delivery of materials.

SUMMARY

[0004] There is provided a portable materials handling apparatus which has a base, an elongated materials conveyor and a hopper. The materials conveyor has an intake end and a discharge end and is pivotally mounted to the base for pivotal movement between an operative position and a transport position. The pivotal movement is about a fulcrum positioned in an intermediate position between the intake end and the discharge end, such that the materials conveyor pivots like a teeter-totter. The hopper is fixed to and movable with the intake end of the materials conveyor.

[0005] With the above described portable materials handling apparatus, the hopper is fixed to and movable with the intake end of the materials conveyor. This eliminates any gaps through which powdered material can be lost or through which moisture can enter. In order to accommodate movement between the operative position and the transport position with the hopper fixed to the intake end of the materials conveyor, movement is about a fulcrum in a manner that emulates a teeter-totter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein:

[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a portable materials handling apparatus in the operative position.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a perspective side view of the portable materials handling apparatus, shown in FIG. 1, in the transport position.

[0009] FIG. 3 is a detailed side elevation view of the locking assembly of the portable materials handling apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] A portable materials handling apparatus generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 through 3.

Structure and Relationship of Parts:

[0011] Referring to FIG. 1, a portable materials handling apparatus 10 includes an elongated materials conveyor 12 pivotally mounted to a base 14. Materials conveyor 12 has an intake end 16 and a discharge end 18. A hopper 20 is fixed to and movable with intake end 16 of materials conveyor 12. Materials conveyor 12 is pivoted about a fulcrum 22 positioned in an intermediate position between intake end 16 and discharge end 18 such that materials conveyor 12 pivots like a teeter-totter between an operative position, shown in FIG. 1, and a transport position, shown in FIG. 2. A lift assembly 36 lifts materials conveyor 12 from the transport position to the operative position. Lift assembly 36 has an expandable cylinder 38, a fluid reservoir 40 and a pump 42 to pump fluid from fluid reservoir 40 to expand cylinder 38.

[0012] Referring to FIG. 3, a locking assembly 24 secures materials conveyor 12 in the operative position or the transport position. Locking assembly 24 is a two component telescopic brace 26 that has a male component 28 with a pin receiving aperture 30 and a female component 32 with a pin receiving aperture 30. Although a single pin receiving aperture 30 is shown, it will be understood that more than one pin receiving aperture 30 may be present on male component 28 and female component 32. Male component 28 and female component 32 are engaged in mating relation and selectively locked by insertion of a locking pin, not shown, into pin receiving aperture 30 of male component 28 and female component 32.

Operation:

[0013] Referring to FIG. 2, portable materials handling apparatus 10 is in the transport position. Locking pin of locking assembly is removed from pin receiving aperture 30 on male component 28 and female component 32 to allow movement of apparatus 10 from the transport position to the operative position. Pump 42 of lift assembly 36 is used to pump fluid from fluid reservoir 40 to expand cylinder 38 and cause materials conveyor 12 to pivot about fulcrum 22 into operative position shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, once in the operative position, locking assembly 24 is relocked by insertion of locking pin into pin receiving apertures 30 on male component 28 and female component 32. Discharge end 18 of materials conveyor 12 is positioned such that material falling off discharge end 18 ends up in an appropriate container or location. Material is placed in hopper 20 and ejected from hopper onto intake end 16 of materials conveyor 12. Material travels up materials conveyor 12 to 20 discharge end 18 where it falls off into an appropriate container or destination.

[0014] In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.

[0015] The following claims are to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, and what can be obviously substituted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope of the claims. The illustrated embodiments have been set forth only as examples and should not be taken as limiting the invention. It is to be understood that, within the scope of the following claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically illustrated and described.

Claims

1. A portable materials handling apparatus, comprising:
a base;
an elongated materials conveyor having an intake end and a discharge end, the conveyor being pivotally mounted to the base for pivotal movement between an operative position and a transport position, the pivotal movement being about a fulcrum positioned in an intermediate position between the intake end and the discharge end such that the materials conveyor pivots like a teeter-totter; and a hopper fixed to and movable with the intake end of the materials conveyor.

2. The portable materials handling apparatus of Claim 1, wherein a locking assembly secures the materials conveyor in at least one of the operative position or the transport position.

3. The portable materials handling apparatus of Claim 1, wherein the locking assembly is comprised of a two component telescopic brace having a male component with at least one pin receiving aperture and a female component with at least one pin receiving aperture, the male component and the female component being engaged in mating relation and selectively locked by insertion of a locking pin into the at least one pin receiving aperture of the male component and the at least one pin receiving aperture of the female component.

4. The portable materials handling apparatus of Claim 1, wherein a lift assembly lifts the materials conveyor from the transport position to the operative position.

5. The portable materials handling apparatus of Claim 1, wherein the lift assembly is comprised of an expandable cylinder, a fluid reservoir and a pump to pump fluid from the fluid reservoir to expand the cylinder.