Apparatus for comminuting articles

Claim 2

Apparatus for disintegrating articles such as limbs comprising a housing mounted to a support structure and having a substantially inaccessible interior, a stationary blade set disposed in the interior, a rotatable blade set in the interior and axially spaced from the stationary set, a hydraulic motor mounted to the support structure for rotating the rOtatable set, a source of a pressurized hydraulic fluid connected with the hydraulic motor, and means operatively disposed between the source and the motor for regulating the hydraulic fluid flow and thereby the hydraulic motor for controlling and changing the rotation of the rotatable set.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the regulating means includes means for interrupting the fluid flow between the source and the motor for the de-activation of the motor independently of the source.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the regulating means includes means for reversing the fluid flow through the motor to thereby reverse the direction of rotation of the rotatable set and facilitate the dislodging of objects within the housing without opening the housing.

Claim 5

Apparatus for comminuting waste products into relatively fine particles comprising: a frame; an upright hollow body defining an intake opening at the upper end, a discharge opening at the lower end, and floor means extending at least partially across a lower end of the body; rotatably mounted cutting blades disposed above the floor means for contacting and comminuting the waste products; motor means mounted to the frame and defining a power source for rotating the blades; and drive means operatively connecting the motor means with the blades and including means for reversing the rotation of the blades independently of the motor means, and means for disengaging the connection between the motor means and the blades to alternatively permit the blades to remain stationary or to rotate while the motor means is operating.

Claim 6

Apparatus for comminuting waste products into relatively fine particles comprising: a frame; an upright hollow body defining an intake opening at the upper end, a discharge opening at the lower end, and floor means extending at least partially across a lower end of the body; rotatably mounted cutting blades disposed above the floor means for contacting and comminuting the waste products; motor means mounted to the frame and defining a power source for rotating the blades; and drive means operatively connecting the motor means with the blades and including means for reversing the rotation of the blades independently of the motor means, and means for disengaging the connection between the motor means and the blades to alternatively permit the blades to remain stationary or to rotate while the motor means is operating.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 4 including scraper means extending downwardly from at least a pair of blades for moving debris on the floor means towards the discharge opening, the scraper means comprising plates depending substantially perpendicularly downwardly from the blades.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein lower edges of the plates define scraper teeth, and wherein the teeth on one plate having a spacing from the axis of rotation of the blades which differs from the spacing of the teeth on the other plate.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 4 including disintegrating wedges extending upwardly from at least a pair of blades, the wedges facing in the direction of rotation of the blades and being spaced over the length of the blades from adjacent the axis of rotation to adjacent an outer end of the blades.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein leading edges of the wedges are set back from leading edges of the blades.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the leading edges of the wedges are defined by chisel edges, and wherein the wedges have a maximum width transverse to their direction of movement of no more than about 0.75 inches.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the wedges have a height of no more than about one inch and an overall length, in the direction of their movement, of no more than about 2.25 inches.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the drive means comprises a hydraulic drive.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the means for reversing the direction of rotation and the means for disengaging comprises valve means disposed between a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor of the hydraulic drive for selectively reversing the fluid flow through the hydraulic motor and for selectively bypassing the fluid flow from the pump past the hydraulic motor to thereby reverse the direction of rotation of the blades and maintain them stationary, respectively, while the hydraulic pump continues to operate.

Claim 15

Apparatus for comminuting articles into small particles comprising: a frame, an upright housing mounted to the frame, cover means secured to the housing, the cover means including an intake chute communicating the housing interior with the exterior, the intake chute having a sufficient size for receiving the articles and permitting their passage into the housing whilE shielding the housing interior and preventing a person from accidentally reaching into the housing interior without first removing the cover, a floor member defining a lower end of the housing and including a discharge opening positioned on one side of the housing, a plurality of cutting blades rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, means mounting the blades within the housing, a plurality of splitting wedges arranged over at least one of the blades from adjacent the axis to an outer end of the blades, the wedges including a leading edge facing the direction of rotation of the blades set back from a leading edge of the blades and extending upwardly from the blades so that articles approaching the blades are first contacted and split by the wedges before their disintegration by the blade, and means for rotating the cutting blades so that the insertion of articles through the intake chute means causes the comminuting of the articles and their discharge through the discharge opening.

Claim 16

Apparatus for comminuting articles into small particles comprising: a frame, an upright housing mounted to the frame, cover means secured to the housing, the cover means including an intake chute communicating the housing interior with the exterior, the intake chute having a sufficient size for receiving the articles and permitting their passage into the housing whilE shielding the housing interior and preventing a person from accidentally reaching into the housing interior without first removing the cover, a floor member defining a lower end of the housing and including a discharge opening positioned on one side of the housing, a plurality of cutting blades rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, means mounting the blades within the housing, a plurality of splitting wedges arranged over at least one of the blades from adjacent the axis to an outer end of the blades, the wedges including a leading edge facing the direction of rotation of the blades set back from a leading edge of the blades and extending upwardly from the blades so that articles approaching the blades are first contacted and split by the wedges before their disintegration by the blade, and means for rotating the cutting blades so that the insertion of articles through the intake chute means causes the comminuting of the articles and their discharge through the discharge opening.

Claim 17

A self-contained comminuting apparatus for the disintegration of articles into small, readily disposable particles comprising: a support structure, a disintegration chamber having a raised intake chute constructed to prevent direct access to the chamber interior and thereby shield an operator from injuries through contacts with parts and objects in the chamber while the apparatus is in operation, the chamber further including a discharge opening adjacent a lower end thereof, disintegrating blades rotatably mounted within the chamber for contacting and disintegrating articles received from the chute means, an internal combustion engine mounted to the structure for supplying the necessary power to rotate the blades, a hydraulic pump operated by the engine, a hydraulic motor mounted for rotating the blades, hydraulic lines for fluidly connecting the pump and the motor and passing pressurized fluid through the motor, and valve means interposed in the lines for reversing the fluid flow through the motor without affecting the operation of the pump, whereby the rotation of the blades can be reversed through operation of the valve means to clear objects jamming the blades without opening the chamber.

Claim 18

A self-contained comminuting apparatus for the disintegration of articles into small, readily disposable particles comprising: a support structure, a disintegration chamber having a raised intake chute constructed to prevent direct access to the chamber interior and thereby shield an operator from injuries through contacts with parts and objects in the chamber while the apparatus is in operation, the chamber further including a discharge opening adjacent a lower end thereof, disintegrating blades rotatably mounted within the chamber for contacting and disintegrating articles received from the chute means, an internal combustion engine mounted to the structure for supplying the necessary power to rotate the blades, a hydraulic pump operated by the engine, a hydraulic motor mounted for rotating the blades, hydraulic lines for fluidly connecting the pump and the motor and passing pressurized fluid through the motor, and valve means interposed in the lines for reversing the fluid flow through the motor without affecting the operation of the pump, whereby the rotation of the blades can be reversed through operation of the valve means to clear objects jamming the blades without opening the chamber.

Claim 19

Apparatus according to claim 14 including means for selectively preventing the flow of pressurized fluid through the motor so that the blades can remain stationary while the engine continues to operate.