Apparatus and process for dispensing icy material

Claim 2

Process for accurate continuous and automatic volumetric dispensing and bagging of icy particulate material comprising steps of: a. locating a first portion of said icy particulate material in a first large container having a lower opening, moving each of a series of smaller separate volumetric receptacles each having an upper opening and a like volume therebelow into and out of operative connection with said lower opening, said icy material then flowing from said first container into each of said series of smaller receptacles in operative connection therewith while the top level of said first portion of icy material moves downward and the angle of repose of the portion of said icy particulate material remaining in said first container increases, b. repetitively sensing the top level of said remainder of said first portion of said icy material in said first container and, intermittently, when said top level of said first portion falls to below a predetermined height and a portion of said icy material remains in said first container, forcefully adding an initial portion of a continuous stream of clumps of additional icy material of the same composition as in said first portion of said icy material in said first container to the portion of said icy particulate material remaining in said first container by moving the said added icy material upward into said first container below the level of the ice therein, said stream agitating, mixing with and displacing all of said first portion of icy particulate material remaining in said first container with the said initial portion of said added stream of icy material and forming a resultant mixture and the resultant mixture is agitated only by and admixed with and displaced by said initial portion and further increments of icy material of said stream, thereby forming in said first container a fluent mass of icy material having an angle of repose lower than that of said remaining portion to which said stream is added and lower than that of the icy material from which said stream was formed, said stream having in total a volume larger than the volume of each of said series of separate volumetric receptacles and smaller than the volume of said first container and wherein the said agitating of the first portion with said additional icy material and said mixing of said first icy portion with said additional icy portion and agitating therewith avoids any substantial change in the bulk density of the material fed to said sEries of volumetric receptacles, said stream of additional material being supplied to said first container at sufficiently short intervals of time to maintain the icy particulate material within said first container in a substantially fluid condition, c. continuously feeding said resultant fluent mass of icy particulate material from said first container into each of a series of smaller separate receptacles of like volume therebelow moved into operative connection therewith while the top level of the fluent mass of icy particulate material in said first container falls and the angle of repose of that fluent mass increases, striking off the excess of the fluent mass of icy particulate material fed into each of such receptacles and leaving a residue of said icy particulate material in said first container and moving each of said thus fed receptacles out of operative connection with said first container and thereafter operatively connecting each of said thus fed receptacles with one of a series of second separate containers for icy material and then completely discharging each of said thus fed receptacles into said one of said series of second containers therefor and thereafter removing the said one of said second series of containers and the icy material therein from operative connection with said receptacle.

Claim 3

Process for accurate continuous and automatic volumetric dispensing and bagging of icy particulate material comprising steps of: a. locating a first portion of said icy particulate material in a first large container having a lower opening, moving each of a series of smaller separate volumetric receptacles each having an upper opening and a like volume therebelow into and out of operative connection with said lower opening, said icy material then flowing from said first container into each of said series of smaller receptacles in operative connection therewith while the top level of said first portion of icy material moves downward and the angle of repose of the portion of said icy particulate material remaining in said first container increases, b. repetitively sensing the top level of said remainder of said first portion of said icy material in said first container and, intermittently, when said top level of said first portion falls to below a predetermined height, forcefully adding an initial portion of a continuous stream of clumps of additional icy material of the same composition as in said first portion to the portion of said icy particulate material remaining in said first container, said stream agitating, mixing with and displacing all of said first portion of icy particulate material remaining in said first container with the said initial portion of said added stream of icy material and forming a resultant mixture and the resultant mixture is agitated only by and admixed with and displaced by said initial portion and further increments of icy material of said stream, thereby forming in said first container a fluent mass of icy material having an angle of repose lower than that of said remaining portion to which said stream is added and lower than that of the icy material from which said stream was formed, said stream having in total a volume larger than the volume of each of said series of separate volumetric receptacles and smaller than the volume of said first container and wherein the said agitating of the first portion with said additional icy material and said mixing of said first icy portion with said additional icy portion and agitating therewith avoids any substantial change in the bulk density of the material fed to said series of volumetric receptacles, said stream of additional material being supplied to said first container at sufficiently short intervals of time to maintain the icy particulate material within said first container in a substantially fluid condition, c. continuously feeding said resultant fluent mass of icy particulate material from said first container into each of a series of smaller separate receptacles of like volume therebelow moved into operative connection therewith while the top level of the fluent mass of icy particulate material in said first container falls and the angle of repose of that fluent mass increases, striking off the excess of the fluent mass of icy particulate material fed into each of such receptacles and leaving a residue of said icy particulate material in said first container and moving each of said thus fed receptacles out of operative connection with said first container and thereafter operatively connecting each of said thus fed receptacles with one of a series of second separate containers for icy material and then completely discharging each of said thus fed receptacles into said one of said series of second containers therefor and thereafter removing the said one of said second series of containers and the icy material therein from operative connection with said receptacle and one portion of a series of smaller separate receptacles receives portions of the icy material from the first container, and alternately, a. a spout engages with one of said series of empty second separate containers while said one of said series is empty and each receptacle of the series of smaller separate receptacles separately discharges its entire content of icy material through said spout into one of said series of initially empty second separate containers to fill it and b. on completion of said discharge of icy material from said receptacle to said one of said second separate containers, said spout is moved to a position out of engagement with said one of said series of second separate containers and the thus filled second separate container is removed from the series of empty second separate containers.

Claim 4

Process for accurate continuous and automatic volumetric dispensing and bagging of icy particulate material comprising steps of: a. locating a first portion of said icy particulate material in a first large container having a lower opening, moving each of a series of smaller separate volumetric receptacles each having an upper opening and a like volume therebelow into and out of operative connection with said lower opening, said icy material then flowing from said first container into each of said series of smaller receptacles in operative connection therewith while the top level of said first portion of icy material moves downward and the angle of repose of the portion of said icy particulate material remaining in said first container increases, b. repetitively sensing the top level of said remainder of said first portion of said icy material in said first container and, intermittently, when said top level of said first portion falls to below a predetermined height, forcefully adding an initial portion of a continuous stream of clumps of additional icy material of the same composition as in said first portion to the portion of said icy particulate material remaining in said first container, said stream agitating, mixing with and displacing all of said first portion of icy particulate material remaining in said first container with the said initial portion of said added stream of icy material and forming a resultant mixture and the resultant mixture is agitated only by and admixed with and displaced by said initial portion and further increments of icy material of said stream, thereby forming in said first container a fluent mass of icy material having an angle of repose lower than that of said remaining portion to which said stream is added and lower than that of the icy material from which said stream was formed, said stream having in total a volume larger than the volume of each of said series of separate volumetric receptacles and smaller than the volume of said first container and wherein the said agitating of the first portion with said additional icy material and said mixing of said first icy portion with said additional icy portion and agitating therewith avoids any substantial change in the bulk density of the material fed to said series of volumetric receptacles, said stream of additional material being supplied to said first container at sufficiently short intervals of time to maintain the icy particulate material within said first container in a substantially fluid condition, c. continuously feeding said resultant fluent mass of icy particulate material from said first container into each of a series of smaller separate receptacles of like volume therebelow moved into operative connection therewith while the top level of the fluent mass of icy particulate material in said first container falls and the angle of repose of that fluent mass increases, striking off the excess of the fluent mass of icy particulate material fed into each of such receptacles and leaving a residue of said icy particulate material in said first container and moving each of said thus fed receptacles out of operative connection with said first container and thereafter operatively connecting each of said thus fed receptacles with one of a series of second separate containers for icy material and then completely discharging each of said thus fed receptacles into said one of said series of second containers therefor and thereafter removing the said one of said second series of containers and the icy material therein from operative connection with said receptacle and one portion of a series of smaller separate receptacles receives portions of the icy material from the first container, and alternately, a. a spout engages with one of said series of empty second separate containers while said one of said series is empty and each receptacle of the series of smaller separate receptacles separately discharges its entire content of icy material through said spout into one of said series of initially empty second separate containers to fill it and b. on completion of said discharge of icy material from said receptacle to said one of said second separate containers, said spout is moved to a position out of engagement with said one of said series of second separate containers and the thus filled second separate container is removed from the series of empty second separate containers.

Claim 5

Process as in claim 2 wherein each of said series of empty containers is initially in a flattened collapsed condition and is opened at its top by a gas stream prior to engagement by said spout.

Claim 6

Apparatus for volumetric dispensing and bagging of icy particulate material comprising, in operative combination; a rigid frame means; a hopper assembly comprising a first container the walls of which are vertical, attached to said frame means, said first container defining a chamber open at its bottom and top, an exterior curved outer wall of said chamber, the curvature of that wall being the curvature of a first vertical cylinder, a vertical curved interior wall of said chamber, the curvature of that interior wall being the curvature of a second vertical cylinder, said first and second cylinders having a common vertical axis, a curved left end wall joined at its right side to said exterior and interior walls and a curved right end wall joined at its left side to said exterior and interior walls, said left, outer, right and inner walls being continuous, vertical and smooth, two openings in said container, each transparent to a light beam, a light generating and a light sensing means operatively connected to said openings to pass a light beam across said chamber and to sense the passage of a beam of light passing thereacross; a rotating sleeve assembly comprising, a pair of vertically spaced apart rigid rotatable horizontal upper and lower plates, a plurality of like vertical cylinders located between said rotatable horizontal plates and fixedly attached thereto, openings in said upper plate at the top of and in said lower plate at the bottom of each of said cylinder, said cylinders each located the same distance from said common vertical axis, rotatable mounting means firmly supported in said rigid frame and attached to said plates, a first motor means operatively attached to one of said plates and supported on said frame, a fixed plate attached to said frame adjacent to and below said lower movable plate, an orifice in said plate below one of said openings in said bottom plate, a spout connected to said orifice and extending downwardly therefrom, said openings in said upper plate being movably located adjacent the bottom of said cHamber of said first container in said hopper assembly, the wall of each of said cylinders in said rotating sleeve assembly having a most radial portion extending horizontally the same distance as said exterior curved wall of said first container from said common vertical axis, the opening of said cylinders of said sleeve assembly being open to the bottom of said chamber of said first container, a second container, a feed opening to said container, a discharge opening from said container, article moving means in said container for moving articles from said feed opening to said discharge opening, a second motor means operatively connected to said article moving means, said discharge opening located at a level higher than the walls of said first container and located to discharge its contents into said first container; and electrical switch means operatively connected to said second motor means and to said light sensing means of said hopper assembly to activate said motor means in response to said light sensing means, wherein said left end wall and right end wall of said first container are located on opposite sides of said vertical axis, and wherein said first container has a volume from 3 to 6 times the volume of one of said like vertical cylinders, and said second container has a greater volume than said first container and wherein the first motor means for said rotating sleeve assembly is continuously operatively connected thereto and wherein the switch means operatively connected to said second motor means is intermittently disconnected therefrom responsive to said light sensing means.

Claim 7

Apparatus for volumetric dispensing and bagging of icy particulate material comprising, in operative combination; a rigid frame means; a hopper assembly comprising a first container the walls of which are vertical, attached to said frame means, said first container defining a chamber open at its bottom and top, an exterior curved outer wall of said chamber, the curvature of that wall being the curvature of a first vertical cylinder, a vertical curved interior wall of said chamber, the curvature of that interior wall being the curvature of a second vertical cylinder, said first and second cylinders having a common vertical axis, a curved left end wall joined at its right side to said exterior and interior walls and a curved right end wall joined at its left side to said exterior and interior walls, said left, outer, right and inner walls being continuous, vertical and smooth, two openings in said container, each transparent to a light beam, a light generating and a light sensing means operatively connected to said openings to pass a light beam across said chamber and to sense the passage of a beam of light passing thereacross; a rotating sleeve assembly comprising, a pair of vertically spaced apart rigid rotatable horizontal upper and lower plates, a plurality of like vertical cylinders located between said rotatable horizontal plates and fixedly attached thereto, openings in said upper plate at the top of and in said lower plate at the bottom of each of said cylinder, said cylinders each located the same distance from said common vertical axis, rotatable mounting means firmly supported in said rigid frame and attached to said plates, a first motor means operatively attached to one of said plates and supported on said frame, a fixed plate attached to said frame adjacent to and below said lower movable plate, an orifice in said plate below one of said openings in said bottom plate, a spout connected to said orifice and extending downwardly therefrom, said openings in said upper plate being movably located adjacent the bottom of said cHamber of said first container in said hopper assembly, the wall of each of said cylinders in said rotating sleeve assembly having a most radial portion extending horizontally the same distance as said exterior curved wall of said first container from said common vertical axis, the opening of said cylinders of said sleeve assembly being open to the bottom of said chamber of said first container, a second container, a feed opening to said container, a discharge opening from said container, article moving means in said container for moving articles from said feed opening to said discharge opening, a second motor means operatively connected to said article moving means, said discharge opening located at a level higher than the walls of said first container and located to discharge its contents into said first container; and electrical switch means operatively connected to said second motor means and to said light sensing means of said hopper assembly to activate said motor means in response to said light sensing means, wherein said left end wall and right end wall of said first container are located on opposite sides of said vertical axis, and wherein said first container has a volume from 3 to 6 times the volume of one of said like vertical cylinders, and said second container has a greater volume than said first container and wherein the first motor means for said rotating sleeve assembly is continuously operatively connected thereto and wherein the switch means operatively connected to said second motor means is intermittently disconnected therefrom responsive to said light sensing means.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 4 comprising also a bag holding means and a bag opening means, the bag holding means comprising a plate located below the spout means and supported on said frame, said spout means having a forwardly pivotal door and a front closure plate therebehind, the bag opening means comprising a fan, a motor and a duct supported on said frame means, said fan operatively connected to and driven by the motor, the fan having an outlet, the duct connected to said outlet, an air guide duct chamber with an open bottom adjacent said pivoted door and with its rear wall formed by said front closure plate of said spout means, said duct being flexible and entering said air guide duct chamber opposite said front closure plate and located below said rotating sleeve assembly.

Claim 11

Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein the vertical extending walls of said first container are only vertical and said radiant source is a light source and said radiant energy receptor is a photosensitive electrical circuit.

Claim 12

Process for accurate continuous and automatic volumetric dispensing and bagging of icy particulate material comprising steps of: a. locating a first portion of said icy particulate material in a first large container having a lower opening, moving each of a series of smaller separate volumetric receptacles each having an upper opening and a like volume therebelow into and out of operative connection with said lower opening, said icy material then flowing from said first container into each of said series of smaller receptacles in operative connection therewith while the top level of said first portion of icy material moves downward and the angle of repose of the portion of said icy particulate material remaining in said first container increases, b. repetitively sensing the top level of said remainder of said first portion of said icy material in said first container and, intermittently, when said top level of said first portion falls to below a predetermined height, forcefully adding an initial portion of a continuous stream of clumps of additional icy material of the same composition as in said first portion to the portion of said icy particulate material remaining in said first container, said stream agitating, mixing with and displacing all of said first portion of icy particulate material remaining in said first container with the said initial portion of said added stream of icy material and forming a resultant mixture and the resultant mixture is agitated only by and admixed with and displaced by said initial portion and further increments of icy material of said stream, thereby forming in said first container a fluent mass of icy material having an angle of repose lower than that of said remaining portion to which said stream is added and lower than that of the icy material from which said stream was formed, said stream having in total a volume larger than the volume of each of said series of separate volumetric receptacles and smaller than the volume of said first container and wherein the said agitating of the first portion with said additional icy material and said mixing of said first icy portion with said additional icy portion and agitating therewith avoids any substantial change in the bulk density of the material fed to said series of volumetric receptacles, said stream of additional material being supplied to said first container at sufficiently short intervals of time to maintain the icy particulate material within said first container in a substantially fluid condition, c. continuously feeding said resultant fluent mass of icy particulate material from said first container into each of a series of smaller separate receptacles of like volume therebelow moved into operative connection therewith while the top level of the fluent mass of icy particulate material in said first container falls and the angle of repose of that fluent mass increases, striking off the excess of the fluent mass of icy particulate material fed into each of such receptacles and leaving a residue of said icy particulate material in said first container and moving each of said thus fed receptacles out of operative connection with said first container and thereafter operatively conNecting each of said thus fed receptacles with one of a series of second separate containers for icy material and then completely discharging each of said thus fed receptacles into said one of said series of second containers therefor and thereafter removing the said one of said second series of containers and the icy material therein from operative connection with said receptacle, and wherein one portion of a series of smaller separate receptacles receives portions of the icy material from the first container, and alternately, a. a spout opens to one of said series of empty second separate containers while said one of said series is empty and each receptacle of the series of smaller separate receptacles separately discharges its entire content of icy material through said spout into one of said series of initially empty second separate containers to fill it and b. on completion of said discharge of icy material from said receptacle to said one of said second separate containers, and filling of said one of said containers, the thus filled second separate container is removed from the series of empty second separate containers, and wherein each of said series of empty containers is initially in a flattened collapsed condition and is opened at its top by a gas stream prior to filling by said spout.

Claim 13

Process for accurate continuous and automatic volumetric dispensing and bagging of icy particulate material comprising steps of: a. locating a first portion of said icy particulate material in a first large container having a lower opening, moving each of a series of smaller separate volumetric receptacles each having an upper opening and a like volume therebelow into and out of operative connection with said lower opening, said icy material then flowing from said first container into each of said series of smaller receptacles in operative connection therewith while the top level of said first portion of icy material moves downward and the angle of repose of the portion of said icy particulate material remaining in said first container increases, b. repetitively sensing the top level of said remainder of said first portion of said icy material in said first container and, intermittently, when said top level of said first portion falls to below a predetermined height, forcefully adding an initial portion of a continuous stream of clumps of additional icy material of the same composition as in said first portion to the portion of said icy particulate material remaining in said first container, said stream agitating, mixing with and displacing all of said first portion of icy particulate material remaining in said first container with the said initial portion of said added stream of icy material and forming a resultant mixture and the resultant mixture is agitated only by and admixed with and displaced by said initial portion and further increments of icy material of said stream, thereby forming in said first container a fluent mass of icy material having an angle of repose lower than that of said remaining portion to which said stream is added and lower than that of the icy material from which said stream was formed, said stream having in total a volume larger than the volume of each of said series of separate volumetric receptacles and smaller than the volume of said first container and wherein the said agitating of the first portion with said additional icy material and said mixing of said first icy portion with said additional icy portion and agitating therewith avoids any substantial change in the bulk density of the material fed to said series of volumetric receptacles, said stream of additional material being supplied to said first container at sufficiently short intervals of time to maintain the icy particulate material within said first container in a substantially fluid condition, c. continuously feeding said resultant fluent mass of icy particulate material from said first container into each of a series of smaller separate receptacles of like volume therebelow moved into operative connection therewith while the top level of the fluent mass of icy particulate material in said first container falls and the angle of repose of that fluent mass increases, striking off the excess of the fluent mass of icy particulate material fed into each of such receptacles and leaving a residue of said icy particulate material in said first container and moving each of said thus fed receptacles out of operative connection with said first container and thereafter operatively conNecting each of said thus fed receptacles with one of a series of second separate containers for icy material and then completely discharging each of said thus fed receptacles into said one of said series of second containers therefor and thereafter removing the said one of said second series of containers and the icy material therein from operative connection with said receptacle, and wherein one portion of a series of smaller separate receptacles receives portions of the icy material from the first container, and alternately, a. a spout opens to one of said series of empty second separate containers while said one of said series is empty and each receptacle of the series of smaller separate receptacles separately discharges its entire content of icy material through said spout into one of said series of initially empty second separate containers to fill it and b. on completion of said discharge of icy material from said receptacle to said one of said second separate containers, and filling of said one of said containers, the thus filled second separate container is removed from the series of empty second separate containers, and wherein each of said series of empty containers is initially in a flattened collapsed condition and is opened at its top by a gas stream prior to filling by said spout.