US3595546A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for converting scrap automobile bodies to high grade pigs
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1969-10-30
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Granted: 1971-07-27
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Expires: 1989-10-30
Abstract
Abstract The apparatus includes an open bottomed upwardly angled conveyor contained within a thermally insulated housing, a cupola into which the conveyor discharges and high temperature jet burners for heating the interior of the housing. Ignited scrap automobile bodies are placed on the open bottomed conveyor which moves angularly upward through the thermally insulated housing within which all combustibles are consumed and low temperature melting metals melt and drop off by the time that each car reaches the upper end of the housing to be deposited thereafter into the cupola. The cars are melted down in the cupola to high grade steel which is tapped off and pigged. Incomplete combustion products produced in the housing in the form of smoke are drawn off and forced through the cupola bed to complete the combustion and eliminate air pollution.
Inventors
- 👤 Edward A Uzdavines
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 20:53
CPC Classifications
C; C22; C22B; C22B7/00; C22B7/001; C22B7/004; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P10/00; Y02P10/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
292 words
Apparatus for converting discarded automobile bodies into pigs or billets of high density, high grade scrap steel, comprising in combination, a. an elongated conveyor having a loading station and a discharge station at opposite ends thereof, and drive means coupled to said conveyor operative to cause said conveyor to transport automobile bodies placed thereon toward the discharge station at a desired rate of speed, b. a housing having sidewalls and a roof of thermal insulating material enclosing said conveyor at least from a point proximate to the loading station end to a point beyond said discharge station end, said housing being of sufficient height and width so as to preclude interfering contact with the walls and roof thereof by an automobile body on said conveyor as the latter moves through the housing, c. a steel melting furnace proximate to but beyond the discharge end of said conveyor and having an inlet opening thereinto large enough for an automobile body to pass through for deposit into the furnace as a unit, d. means effective to guide an automobile body from the conveyor discharge station into the furnace through said inlet opening, e. housing venting means proximate to the roof level at a point along the length of the housing closer to the conveyor discharge station than to the conveyor loading station, f. blower means provided with inlet means and having an outlet which discharges into a high temperature region of said furnace, and g. conduit means connecting said housing venting means to said blower means inlet means, whereby a desired volume of the atmosphere below the roof level within the conveyor housing may be drawn into said venting means and discharged into said furnace in accordance with the operation of said blower means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
292 words
Apparatus for converting discarded automobile bodies into pigs or billets of high density, high grade scrap steel, comprising in combination, a. an elongated conveyor having a loading station and a discharge station at opposite ends thereof, and drive means coupled to said conveyor operative to cause said conveyor to transport automobile bodies placed thereon toward the discharge station at a desired rate of speed, b. a housing having sidewalls and a roof of thermal insulating material enclosing said conveyor at least from a point proximate to the loading station end to a point beyond said discharge station end, said housing being of sufficient height and width so as to preclude interfering contact with the walls and roof thereof by an automobile body on said conveyor as the latter moves through the housing, c. a steel melting furnace proximate to but beyond the discharge end of said conveyor and having an inlet opening thereinto large enough for an automobile body to pass through for deposit into the furnace as a unit, d. means effective to guide an automobile body from the conveyor discharge station into the furnace through said inlet opening, e. housing venting means proximate to the roof level at a point along the length of the housing closer to the conveyor discharge station than to the conveyor loading station, f. blower means provided with inlet means and having an outlet which discharges into a high temperature region of said furnace, and g. conduit means connecting said housing venting means to said blower means inlet means, whereby a desired volume of the atmosphere below the roof level within the conveyor housing may be drawn into said venting means and discharged into said furnace in accordance with the operation of said blower means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said inlet means comprises an air inlet and another inlet, said conduit means connecting said housing venting means to the said another inlet, and further including proportioning means selectively operable to provide a desired intaKe ratio between said blower air inlet and said another inlet.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
Apparatus as described in claim 1 further including selectively operable high temperature heating means effective when operated to direct heat into said housing directly at the automobile bodies being carried through the housing on said conveyor to thereby raise the body metal temperature to desired range.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
81 words
Apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein said conveyor is open bottomed for at least a part of its length and inclines upward through said housing for a distance of at least several automobile car body lengths to its terminating discharge stations, wherein said guide means from the conveyor discharge station into said furnace comprises a downwardly sloping ramp terminating at the furnace inlet opening which latter is located in a sidewall portion of the furnace below the furnace upper end.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
78 words
Apparatus as described in claim 4 further including a plurality of selectively operable high temperature liquid fueled jet burners spaced lengthwise along said housing sidewalls above the level of said conveyor for substantially the length of the conveyor within the housing, said burners being effective when operated to direct heat into said housing and directly at the automobile bodies being carried through the housing on said conveyor to thereby raise the body metal temperature to a desired range.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-07-26 | 1975-01-25 | 1975-07-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-07-26 | 1979-01-25 | 1979-07-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-07-26 | 1983-01-25 | 1983-07-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |