Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1 --
. "TRA~SPORTING A~ID UNLOADING DEVICE"
_
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a transporting and
unloading device which may be of the type known as a
drill fill in which there is provided a container for
receiving seeds or fertilizer together with an auger for
lifting:the material out of the container and depositing
it in the hopper of a seed drill.
~ Devices of this type have been manufactured for
many years and in one arrange~ent which has become pop-
ular in recent years there are provided two such contain-
ers arranged ~ide by side, each being generally rectang-
ular and provided with a hopper bottom which again is
generally rectangular leading to a flat base. An auger
is provided which passes through an upper wall or cover
of the container so that most of its length extends
inwardly of the container down to the flat base for lift-
ing the material which collects at the base out of the
container for deposit from the contalner. The arrange-
.ment of auger passing through the cover is preferred in--
order to allow the containers and framework to be fitted
within a conventional truck box with the auger exposed
above the top of the truck box and not interfering in any
`i~
....
~2~2~
-- 2 --
way with the sides of the truck box.
This arrangement has been generally satis-
factory and has been commercially successful over many
years. However, in view of the fact that the auger pass-
es through the cover wall of the container with the
flighting of the auger cooperating with the bottom or
base of the container, it has been difficult to withdraw
all the material from the container even with the lower
walls converging inwardly to a relatively small base area
to collect the material. Thus, material tends to be left
at the bottom of the container which is both wasteful and
can in some circumsta~ces cause corrosion o thP auger
flighting and lower portion of the container.
SUMMARY OF THE I~VE~TION
-
It is one object of the present invention,
there~ore, to provide an improved container of this type
which avoids or reduces the dificulties obtained by
material being left in the lower portion of the contain-
er.
According to the invention, therefore, there is
provided a material transporting and unloading device
comprising a container having lower walls which converge
to a base and an auger having a flighting and surrounding
tube, the tube projecting from a position inward of the
lower walls to a position adjacent the base whereby the
flighting can withdraw material converged at the base by
the ~ower walls through the tube upwardly from the base
for discharge, the base including a compartment downward-
ly of the ~.ower walls into which the material can fall
from the lower walls ~o as to collect for withdrawal by
said flighting and opening means at the bottom o the
compartment whereby a last remaining portion of the
material can be extracted.
The invention is particularly applicable to the
above stated dual container arrangement where one of the
containers is used for seeds while the other is used for
fertilizer. In this arrangement the auger extends down-
wardly from a position through the top cover but adjacent
one sidewall, inwardly of ~he container to the base where
it extends into the compartment defined by vertical side-
walls to assist in leaving a reduced proportion of mater-
ial in the container. The last remains of the material
can b~ extracted through the opening and suitably col-
lected.
With the foregoing in view, and other advan-
tages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art
to which this invention relates as this specification
proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference
- .4 -
; to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which
includes a description of the best mode known to the
applicant and of the preferred typical embodiment of
the principles of the present invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION CF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is an isometric view of a container
and delivery device according to the invention.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on
a longitudinal axis of the container structure of Figure
1 looking from the lethand side of the device as shown
in Eigure 1~
In the drawings like characters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A drill fill device, is shown in the drawings
and comprises a pair of substantially square containers
and 11 which are coupled together side by side in
tandem. Each container 10, 11 comprises four sidewalls
12 which together form a square or rectangular container
haviny upper and lower rusto-pyramidal sides 13, 14
respectively which converge to a top 15 and a base 18
respectively. The top 15 is in the form of a lid which
is hinged at 16 and carries a handle 17 so that it can
be opened to expose -the inner part of the container for
~2~
-- 5 --
loading or observing the material.
Each of the lower sides 14 is generally planar
so that they converge downwardly and inwardly to the
rectangular base 18. Thus, material collected in the
container generally falls down toward the base for collec-
tion by an auger 19 and transport from the container.
The auger 19 comprises a tube 20 and a flighting 21 which
are supported relative to the container by passing through
a collar 22 in an upper wall 13 and by a frame which
connects the lower end of the tube to the lower walls
14 adjacent the base 18.
At the base 18, a compartment 24 is provided
defined by rectangular planar vertical walls 25 which
create a box hanging or depending downwardly from the
base into which material can fall from the lower side-
walls 14. The depth of the box or compartment ,24 is
just sufficient to provide a layer of material which
can be grasped by the portion of the flight 21 which
is exposed from the lower end of the tube 19. The bottom
of the box or compartment 24 is defined by a planar sheet
26 which is mounted in slides 27 so that it can be slid
rightwardly as shown in Figure 2 by a handle 28.
The containers 10, 11 are mounted on a frame
29 which supports the containers relative to a supportsur-
~ '
~20Z59~
-- 6 --
face with beams 30 contacting the containers under the
-
inclined lower walls 14 to hold the containers upwardly.
The frame is of a type which can allow the whole struc-
ture to be supported on separate ground whePls for towing
as a trailer unit or alternatively the frame structure
can be inserted into a conventional truck box with the
containers carried by the truck box so that the sides lie
closely adjacent or touching the sides of the trucX box.
The height of the containers and the frame are sufficient
so that the top of the auger tube 20 comes above the side
of the truck box so that a discharge spout 31 can extend
downwardly from the top of the truck box for filling a
seed drill hopper in conventional manner. The spout 31
can include a flexible section 32 and a telescopic
section 33 as is well known.
In operation, the containers are filled with
seed or fertili~er or one oE each following which the
material is transported to the required location. At
this time the auger is operated so the flighting turns
and lifts the material from the container for discharge
through the spout 31. -
When the discharge is almost complete, the
remaining material falls down the inclined sides 14 into
the compartment or box 24 from which it can be withdrawn
.
~2~
by the exposed end of the flighting 21. The confining of
the material into the square or rectangular box 24
enables more material to be extracted th~n would be the
case in the conventional arrangement where a flat base
connects the lower most extent of the walls 14~
If it is desired to completely empty the
container so that it can be stored or a different mater-
ial transported, the last remnants or remains of the
material left in the compartment 24 after the flighting
has ceased to be able to draw out further material from
the box 24 is removed by opening the sheet 26 on the
slides 27 so the material can be caught in any suitable
container or merely deposited on the grou~d if not
required.
Since various modifications can be made in my
invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently
widely different embodiments of same made within the
spirit and scope of the claims without departing from
such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter
contained in the accompanying speciication shall ~e
interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting
sense.
