Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
300 words
An elevating wheel in combination with a conveyor having a conveyor belt moving through a conveying reach and return reach, said conveying reach including a conveying section, an elevating section, and a transition section which is intermediate said conveying section and said elevating section, said elevating wheel being formed with storage cells around a periphery of said wheel, each of said cells being formed with a loading opening and an unloading opening, said elevating wheel being rotatably mounted and having a drive means for rotating said wheel when said conveyor is in operation, said elevating section being wrapped around a peripheral section of said wheel so that the bulk material on the elevating section of said belt can be transferred through said loading openings into said storage cells, troughing idlers supporting said conveyor belt throughout a substantial length of the conveying section of said conveying reach in a troughlike configuration with the side portions of said belt being upwardly inclined with the longitudinal edges of said belt positioned at a first elevation, the improvement in said transition section comprising a first means in said transition section adjacent said conveying section which supports the conveyor belt in a troughlike configuration with the longitudinal edges thereof positioned at a second elevation which is higher than said first elevation so as to enable bulk material carried by said conveyor belt to be centered thereon, the location of said longitudinal edges at said second elevation being between said conveying section where said edges are at said first elevation and said elevating wheel, second means in said transition section for maintaining and guiding the bulk material being carried by said belt in the central portion thereof so that substantially all of the bulk material may be loaded into the storage cells of said elevating wheel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
300 words
An elevating wheel in combination with a conveyor having a conveyor belt moving through a conveying reach and return reach, said conveying reach including a conveying section, an elevating section, and a transition section which is intermediate said conveying section and said elevating section, said elevating wheel being formed with storage cells around a periphery of said wheel, each of said cells being formed with a loading opening and an unloading opening, said elevating wheel being rotatably mounted and having a drive means for rotating said wheel when said conveyor is in operation, said elevating section being wrapped around a peripheral section of said wheel so that the bulk material on the elevating section of said belt can be transferred through said loading openings into said storage cells, troughing idlers supporting said conveyor belt throughout a substantial length of the conveying section of said conveying reach in a troughlike configuration with the side portions of said belt being upwardly inclined with the longitudinal edges of said belt positioned at a first elevation, the improvement in said transition section comprising a first means in said transition section adjacent said conveying section which supports the conveyor belt in a troughlike configuration with the longitudinal edges thereof positioned at a second elevation which is higher than said first elevation so as to enable bulk material carried by said conveyor belt to be centered thereon, the location of said longitudinal edges at said second elevation being between said conveying section where said edges are at said first elevation and said elevating wheel, second means in said transition section for maintaining and guiding the bulk material being carried by said belt in the central portion thereof so that substantially all of the bulk material may be loaded into the storage cells of said elevating wheel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first means includes at least one troughing idler having an angle of inclination of the side portions thereof greater than the angle of inclination of the side portions of said troughing idlers supporting said conveyor belt throughout said substantial length of said conveying section.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The combination as set forth in claim 1, further including third means in said transition section for lowering said conveyor belt to a substantially flat condition.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
The combination as set forth in claim 2, wherein said means for maintaining and guiding said bulk materials includes at least one pair of skirt boards above said conveyor and having the lower edge portions thereof in surface contact with the load supporting surface of said belt conveyor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
The combination as set forth in claim 4, wherein said pair of skirt boards are located adjacent said elevating wheel for guiding material on said conveying reach into said loading openings in said wheel.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The combination as set forth in claim 5, wherein the upper edge portions of said pair of skirt boards conform in configuration with the peripheral portion of said elevating wheel.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
The combination as set forth in claim 6, further including a second pair of skirt boards in longitudinal alignment with said first pair of skirt boards and extending from the position on said conveying reach raised to said second elevation to a position adjacent said first pair of skirt boards.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The combination as set forth in claim 7, wherein at least one pair of said skirt boards is pivotally mounted so as to remaiN in surface contact with the load-supporting surface of said belt conveyor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
49 words
The combination as set forth in claim 4, wherein said conveying reach is supported by a plurality of idler rollers, at least a portion of said idler rollers being spring biased toward said elevating wheel so as to resiliently support said conveyor reach adjacent the storage cells being loaded.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
47 words
The combination as set forth in claim 4, which is further characterized by conveying means for receiving spillage and dust adjacent the side portions of said conveying reach and said elevating wheel and for depositing said spillage and dust upon the load-supporting surface of said belt conveyor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The combination as set forth in claim 10, which is further characterized by removal means for removing material from the outer edges of said conveying reach.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
63 words
The combination as set forth in claim 10, wherein said conveying means includes troughlike members extending along the side portions of said conveying reach, each of said troughlike members having a portion thereof extending upwardly above said conveying reach, a conveyor within each of said troughlike members having a direction of travel opposite to the direction of travel of said belt conveyor reach.