GB2171283A - Particulate solid distributor - Google Patents

Abstract

An applicator (1) for a particulate solid, eg fertilizer, comprises an adaptor (19) to form sealing contact with the container (29) in which the particulate solid is packed, around or within the filling orifice (33) thereof so as to join the applicator (1) to the container and a distribution mechanism (13, 15) to receive particulate solid from the container by gravity when the adaptor (19) is connected to the inverted container. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Particulate solids applicator The present invention relates to a manually carried applicator for distributing a particulate solid such as granular fertilizer over the ground.

Manually carried applicators are known. The known applicators comprise a hopper to receive the particulate solid, surmounting a rotatable distribution wheel. The wheel receives the particles by gravity from the hopper and, in use, is rotated to throw out the particles.

The known applicators, however, are not satisfactory. They require the operator to fill the hopper from the container storing the particulate material, usually a bag or sack; and it is invariably the case that the material contains dust produced by abrasion of the particles, which the operator can very easily get on his hands and clothes. Indeed, in windy conditions, the dust can blow into the operator's face, and enter his eyes and cause him to ingest some. They are expensive to produce and also cumbersome in use and tend to fall over when being filled and spill the contents of the hopper. This can damage flora on the ground and give rise to a toxicity risk if the spillage is not cleared up. Further, during filling, rain and foreign bodies can enter the hopper and this can lead to spoilage of the particular material and even to irrepairable damage to the applicator.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a manually carried applicator for particulate solids which avoids the disadvantages of the known applicators.

The present invention is based on the idea of forming the applicator without the hopper bus so that it can be joined to a suitable container to permit the container to serve the purpose of the hopper; the particulate material being packed in such a container to be sold for use with the applicator.

This avoids any transfer of the particulate material by the operator and completely eliminates spillages.

The absence of the hopper greatly cheapens the cost of producing the applicator to the extent that it becomes feasible to offer it free with an initial pack of the particulate material. Further, the container itself can be made very cheaply and can be filled using conventional machinery with the result that packaging costs are at least no greater than those presently incurred.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a manually carried applicator for a particulate solid, comprising an adaptortoform sealing contact with the container in which the particulate solid is packed, around or within the filling orifice thereof so as to join the applicator to the container, and a distribution mechanism to receive particulate solid from the container by gravity when the applicator is joined to the container inverted.

Preferably, the container is one formed with a neck, and preferably the neck is screw-threaded to permit closure by a screw cap. In this instance, the adaptor would provide an internally screw-threaded member to screw onto the container neck on removal of the screw cap.

The mechanism may be, and preferably is, such that it can be operated manually although it could be power driven e.g. by battery.

The present invention also provides applicator apparatus comprising the applicator and the container.

To avoid having to remove the applicator from the container after each use of the applicator in order to permit the container to be closed again, the applicator could be provided with a cover to prevent ingress of air or moisture or egress of material from the container. When the applicator is provided with such a cover and is offered with a pack of the particulate solid, the pack could be offered with the applicator already joined to it.

It is also preferred that the container by an injection/blow moulded plastics bottle since such containers in requisite sizes are already produced in volume and are readily and cheaply available.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section of an applicator according to the present invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view of the applicator of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the applicator generally indicated at 1 comprises a body 3, which may be formed of any suitable material e.g. plastics, having a base comprising a cap portion 5 having an arcuate skirt 6 extending over an arc of some 1800; the cap portion housing an impellor or distribution wheel 7 (shown in outline) mounted on a shaft 9. The shaft passes through the upper wall 11 of the cap portion and carriesthereabove a gearwheel 13 driven by a bevel-gear arrangement generally indicated at 15, manually rotated by a handle 17.

The body supports an adaptor in the form of a sleeve 19 having a peripheral flange 21 at the base thereof by which the adaptor is mounted in a slidewayformed by a surface 21 of the body and shoulders 23,25; the inturned flanges of the shoulders retaining the adaptor in place. The upper part 27 of the sleeve is internally screw-threaded as shown in Figure 1 and 2.

The container the adaptor is intended to be used with is shown in part in Figure 1; the part being generally indicated at 29, and is one formed with an externally screw-threaded neck 31 onto which the internally screw-threaded part 27 of the adaptor is screwed; the adaptor thus making sealing contact with the container around the filling orifice 33 thereof.

The sleeve is formed with an internal boss 35 to receive a resilient packing washer (not shown). The boss has an aperture 37, and the body of the applicator is formed with a feed passage 39 connecting with the sleeve and opening into the cap portion by a feed aperture 41 (see Figure 2) formed in the upper wall of the cap portion. In use of the applicator, with the sleeve attached to the container inverted as shown in Figure 1, particulate material (not shown for convenience) passes from the container through the aperture 37 down through the remainder of the sleeve and through the feed passage 39 to be deposited onto the impellor from above through feed aperture 41 for distribution in the normal way by the impellor on rotation thereof.

In use, the operator holds the applicator so that he faces the device as seen in Figure 1 whereby the impellor throws the material forwardly of the operator over an arc of some 1800; the feed aperture being located above the sector forwardly of the operator of the impellor in order to facilitate this.

Any material thrown out by the impellor over the sector thereof facing the operator is deflected back onto the impellor by the skirt 6.

Because in the illustrated device, the adaptor is mounted on a slideway, adaptors of different diameters may readily be interchanged so that the applicator can be used with bottles having necks of different diameters. This means inter asia that if at sometime it is decided to pack the particulate material in a container having a different neck diameter than the one previously used (which may be the case if a container of different volume is chosen) the user need only be provided with a new adaptor rather than with a new applicator.

Claims (9)

1. An applicator for a particulate solid, comprising an adaptortoform sealing contact with a container in which the particulate solid is contained, around orwithin a filling orifice thereof so as to join the applicator to the container, and a distribution mechanism to receive particulate solid from the container by gravity when the applicator is connected to the container and the container inverted.

2. An applicator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adaptor is internally screw threaded for screwing onto the container.

3. An applicator as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, comprising manual means for operating the distribution mechanism.

4. An applicator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising power driven means for operating the distribution mechanism.

5. An applicator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distribution mechanism comprises an impeller.

6. An applicator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, and comprising the container.

7. An applicator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the container is joined to the applicator.

8. An applicator as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the container is made from an injection or blow moulded plastics material.

9. An applicator for particulate solid, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.