Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02706803 2010-06-14
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
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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
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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
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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.
