US3078019A - Distribution regulator and shut-off gate - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 19, 1963 v. L. BACON DISTRIBUTION REGULATOR AND SHUT-OFF GATE Filed June 17, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 mw W5 4 Feb. 19, 1963 v. BACON DISTRIBUTION REGULATOR AND SHUT-OFF GATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 17. 1960 IN V EN TOR. Wave Z. 15900 United dtatcs atent s,e7s,019 DISTREBUTION REGULATQR AND SHUT- EFF GATE Victor L. Bacon, 944) N. 23th St., Billings, Mont. Filed .lnne l7, 1%0, Ser. No. 36,957 2 Claims. (ill. 222-310) This invention relates to a distribution regulator and shut-01f gate for use with hoppers as, for example, truck boxes or the like containers equipped with conveyor belts or other types of mechanical feed systems.

A primary object of this invention is the provision of a device which will keep the material in a hopper from continuing to How from the exit when the feed mechanism is stopped even though the conventional stop gate is left open.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of this character which will eliminate the need for readjustment of the flow control upon restarting of the conveyor system.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of such a distribution regulator in the form of a hood adapted to be positioned internally of the hopper body and having tapered sides inclined in the direction of flow of the material, so as to be substantially immune to clogging of material fed thereunder.

A further object of the invention is the provision of such a device which may be regulated to various rates of flow and quantities of material to be handled.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of such a device which is sturdy and durable in construction, reliable and efficient in operation, and relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, install and utilize.

Still other objects reside in the combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and features of construction, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter and disclosed in the accompanying drawings wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of this inventive concept.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, partially broken away, of a hopper, such as a truck body or the like, including an endless belt conveyor, showing the distribution regulator and shut-off gate in position therein, parts of the hopper being broken away.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2. of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a modilied form of construction.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 55 of FIG. 4 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Having reference now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is generally indicated at in a hopper of any desired conventional type in which material is adapted to be transported or stored, or otherwise positioned for any desired purpose. The hopper 10 is provided on its underside with an endless conveyor belt 11, which is mounted on the usual rollers 12 at its opposite ends, and driven in any desired conventional manner. The conveyor belt moves material 13 from the interior of the hopper 10 to an outlet opening 14 or gate,

which is controlled normally by a slidable shut-oil gate 15 provided with an operating handle 16 and mounted in suitable flanges or brackets 17 on the exterior of the hopper.

All of the foregoing is largely conventional, and heretofore, as long as the conveyor belt has been moving, and the gate 15 opened, material has been conveyed from the hopper to any desired external source.

Heretofore, when the gate 15 is left open and the hopper has been filled to a reasonable extent, material has had a tendency to leak out through the opening 14 unless the gate 15 had been previously closed. Since the gate 15 may be left open through inadvertence frequently, this has sometimes resulted in a loss of valuable material from the interior of the hopper. The device of the instant invention is generally indicated at 20*, and comprises a hood having an inclined front wall 21, which inclines upwardly from a position immediately over the conveyor belt 11. Side walls 22 are also inclined upwardly from the open bottom 23 of the device. The inclined front wall 21 and side walls 22 terminate at a point adjacent the inner face of the end wall 24 of the hopper, and are secured to a sleeve 25, which is mounted rotatably on an axle 2d. The ends of the axle 26 are adapted to extend through a suitable selected pair of openings 27' and a pair of channel irons 28, which are disposed in vertical relation on the interior of the end wall 24 and fixedly secured thereto. A nut 29 may be secured to the end of the axle for securing the device in position.

In the normal position of adjustment as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, material is conveyed by the conveyor belt 11 toward the opennig l4, and fed under the open bottom 23 of the hood Zil. When the conveyor belt is stopped, the forwardly and downwardly sloping front wall 21, and the downwardly inclined side walls 22 serve to prevent any seepage or leakage of the material under the shield and out of the opening, the incline of the wall serving to turn back material into the main bulk of the pile, as shown at 13 in FIG. 1.

When it is desired to dispense with the hood 20' entirely, the same may be moved upwardly to the dotted line position of FIG. 1 by simply rotating the same about the axle 26, it being noted that the sleeve 25 is freely rotatable thereabout.

When it is desired to adjust the device, obviously the axle 26 may be removed from the sleeve and from the associated openings 27, and replaced in another selected pair of aligned openings, to vary the height of the open bottom 23 of the hood from the conveyor belt.

A modified form of construction is disclosed in FIGS. 4, S, and 6 wherein there is shown a hopper 30 having an end opening 31 and a suitable conventional end gate similar to the end gate 15, which has been omitted 111 this illustration for the sake of clarity. An endless belt 32 mounted on conventional rollers 33 serves to convey material from the interior of a hopper toward the outlet opening 31.

In this modification the hood generally indicated at 35 includes a corresponding inclined front wall 36 and side walls 37 tapering in a manner similar to that of the previously described modification.

Secured to the top of the front wall 36 is an axle 33, which carries at its ends a pair of rollers 39, which are secured in position by lock nuts 40 or the like, and which are adapted to abut the inner surface of the front wall 41 of hopper 39. An elongated slot 42 extends upwardly immediately above the outlet opening 31, and has extending therethrough a pair of spaced lugs 43, which are fixedly secured to a plate 44 mounted on a rod 38. The plate 44 extends a substantial distance above and below the lugs 43 and serves as a shield 0r closure for the slot 42, when the hood 35 is in its lowered position. A guide lug 42a serves to stabilize the bottom of plate 44 against lateral movement in slot 42.

Secured between the lugs 43 is a shaft or axle 46, which carries outside of the lugs 43 a pair of rollers 47 which are adapted to engage the outer face of rear wall 41 on opposite sides of the slot 42. Fixedly secured to the axle 46 between the lugs 43 is a bushing 48, which is secured to the operating rod 49 of any suitable hydraulic operating mechanism 50, which is arranged to raise or lower the hood assembly to the desired elevation relative to the conveyor belt 32 and the opening 31.

The use and operation of this device are substantially identical to that disclosed in the preceding modification, with the exception of the fact that the raising and lowering of the device is eifected by hydraulic means, rather than manual.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is herein provided a distribution regulator and shut-ofi gate which accomplishes all of the objects of this invention, and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made in the embodiments hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a distributor regulator and shut-off gate for a hopper having a rear wall with an outlet opening therein and horizontal conveyor means for moving material in the hopper towards said outlet, the combination comprising a pivotally mounted hood including an inclined front wall and tapered side Walls, means securing said hood to the rear wall of said hopper above said outlet with said inclined front wall extending inwardly of the hopper and downwardly over said conveyor, a bar extending transversely across the top of said inclined front wall of said hood; rollers mounted on the ends of said bar, lugs extending rearwardly from said bar and projecting through a vertical slot in said rear wall of said hopper; a hydraulic cylinder positioned on said rear wall of said hopper and an actuating rod extending from said cylinder to said projecting lugs for slidably varying the relative distance of the lower end of said hood from said conveyor means.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein a shield is secured to said bar extending over said slot as said hood is raised and lowered.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 662,672 Hickey Nov. 27, 1900 1,360,805 Sherman et al Nov. 30, 1920 2,339,667 Arndt Jan. 18, 1944 2,343,707 Roland Mar. 7, 1944 2,389,845 Erickson Nov, 27, 1945 2,968,426 Borella Jan. 17, 1961

Claims (1)

1. IN A DISTRIBUTOR REGULATOR AND SHUT-OFF GATE FOR A HOPPER HAVING A REAR WALL WITH AN OUTLET OPENING THEREIN AND HORIZONTAL CONVEYOR MEANS FOR MOVING MATERIAL IN THE HOPPER TOWARDS SAID OUTLET, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED HOOD INCLUDING AN INCLINED FRONT WALL AND TAPERED SIDE WALLS, MEANS SECURING SAID HOOD TO THE REAR WALL OF SAID HOPPER ABOVE SAID OUTLET WITH SAID INCLINED FRONT WALL EXTENDING INWARDLY OF THE HOPPER AND DOWNWARDLY OVER SAID CONVEYOR, A BAR EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE TOP OF SAID INCLINED FRONT WALL OF SAID HOOD; ROLLERS MOUNTED ON THE ENDS OF SAID BAR, LUGS EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM SAID BAR AND PROJECTING THROUGH A VERTICAL SLOT IN SAID REAR WALL OF SAID HOPPER; A HYDRAULIC CYLINDER POSITIONED ON SAID REAR WALL OF SAID HOPPER AND AN ACTUATING ROD EXTENDING FROM SAID CYLINDER TO SAID PROJECTING LUGS FOR SLIDABLY VARYING THE RELATIVE DISTANCE OF THE LOWER END OF SAID HOOD FROM SAID CONVEYOR MEANS.

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