Centrifugally discharging scoop shovel assembly

Claim 2

A scoop shovel comprising: an arm mounted for rotation about a shaft extending generally normal to said arm; a shovel having a bottom wall; means supporting said shovel adjacent one end of said arm; means mounting said bottom wall on said supporting means for pivotal movement into an open and closed position; means carried by said arm for latching said bottom wall in a closed position; and means for disabling said latching means at a predetermined point in the path of travel of the shovel during rotation thereof whereby said bottom wall is free to swing into said open position under the influence of centrifugal forces.

Claim 3

A scoop shovel according to claim 1 wherein said latching means comprises an elongated resilient member mounted at one end on said arm and biased toward said shovel, the other end of said member having means engaging said bottom wall to maintain the latter closed.

Claim 4

A scoop shovel according to claim 1 including means for maintaining said latching means disabled until said bottom wall is returned to its closed position.

Claim 5

A shovel assembly comprising: means supporting a rotatable shaft; an arm mounted on said shaft and extending radially thereof in opposite directions generally normal to said shaft; means at each opposite end of said arm for supporting a shovel; each shovel having a bottom wall; means mounting said bottom wall on said shovel support means for pivotal movement into an open and closed position; means carried by said arm for latching said bottom wall of each shovel in a closed position; and means for disabling each of said latching means during rotation of its associated shovel at a predetermined point in the path of travel thereof whereby the associated bottom wall is free to swing into said open position by centrifugal forces.

Claim 6

A shovel assembly comprising: means supporting a rotatable shaft; an arm mounted on said shaft and extending radially thereof in opposite directions generally normal to said shaft; means at each opposite end of said arm for supporting a shovel; each shovel having a bottom wall; means mounting said bottom wall on said shovel support means for pivotal movement into an open and closed position; means carried by said arm for latching said bottom wall of each shovel in a closed position; and means for disabling each of said latching means during rotation of its associated shovel at a predetermined point in the path of travel thereof whereby the associated bottom wall is free to swing into said open position by centrifugal forces.

Claim 7

A scoop shovel comprising: an arm mounted for rotation about a shaft extending generally normal to said arm; a shovel having a bottom wall; means supporting said shovel adjacent one end of said arm; means mounting said bottom wall on said supporting means for pivotal movement into an open and closed position; means carried by said arm for latching said bottom wall in a closed position; means for disabling said latching means at a predetermined point in the path of travel of the shovel during rotation thereof whereby said bottom wall is free to swing into said open position under the influence of centrifugal forces; said latching means comprising an elongated resilient member mounted at one end on said arm and biased toward said shovel; the other end of said member having means engaging said bottom wall to maintain the latter closed; means for supporting said shaft; said disabling means comprising a cam mounted on said shaft support means; a pivotable member carried by said arm and having a cam follower engagable with said cam; and means on said pivotable member engagable with said resilient member for urging the latter away from said shovel to disengage said bottom wall engaging means.

Claim 8

A scoop shovel comprising: an arm mounted for rotation about a shaft extending generally normal to said arm; a shovel having a bottom wall; means supporting said shovel adjacent one end of said arm; means mounting said bottom wall on said supporting means for pivotal movement into an open and closed position; means carried by said arm for latching said bottom wall in a closed position; means for disabling said latching means at a predetermined point in the path of travel of the shovel during rotation thereof whereby said bottom wall is free to swing into said open position under the influence of centrifugal forces; said latching means comprising an elongated resilient member mounted at one end on said arm and biased toward said shovel; the other end of said member having means engaging said bottom wall to maintain the latter closed; means for supporting said shaft; said disabling means comprising a cam mounted on said shaft support means; a pivotable member carried by said arm and having a cam follower engagable with said cam; and means on said pivotable member engagable with said resilient member for urging the latter away from said shovel to disengage said bottom wall engaging means.

Claim 9

A scoop shovel according to claim 5 wherein said cam has a generally arcuate configuration and a pair of cam surfaces of different radii.

Claim 10

A scoop shovel according to claim 1 including means for adjusting said cam relative to said shaft supporting means.

Claim 11

A scoop shovel comprising: an arm mounted for rotation about a shaft extending generally normal to said arm; a shovel having a bottom wall; means supporting said shovel adjacent one end of said arm; means mounting said bottom wall on said supporting means for pivotal movement into an open and closed position; means carried by said arm for latching said bottom wall in a closed position; means for disabling said latching means at a predetermined point in the path of travel of the shovel during rotation thereof whereby said bottom wall is free to swing into said open position under the influence of centrifugal forces; means for maintaining said latching means disabled until said bottom wall is returned to its closed position; said maintaining means comprising a rotatable shaft mounted on said shovel and having a pair of projections at opposite ends thereof normally disposed in a retracted position and pivotable into an extended position by centrifugal forces upon disablement of said latching means whereby one of said projections is engagable with said latching means to maintain the latter disabled prior to the return of said bottom wall to its closed position.

Claim 12

A scoop shovel comprising: an arm mounted for rotation about a shaft extending generally normal to said arm; a shovel having a bottom wall; means supporting said shovel adjacent one end of said arm; means mounting said bottom wall on said supporting means for pivotal movement into an open and closed position; means carried by said arm for latching said bottom wall in a closed position; means for disabling said latching means at a predetermined point in the path of travel of the shovel during rotation thereof whereby said bottom wall is free to swing into said open position under the influence of centrifugal forces; means for maintaining said latching means disabled until said bottom wall is returned to its closed position; said maintaining means comprising a rotatable shaft mounted on said shovel and having a pair of projections at opposite ends thereof normally disposed in a retracted position and pivotable into an extended position by centrifugal forces upon disablement of said latching means whereby one of said projections is engagable with said latching means to maintain the latter disabled prior to the return of said bottom wall to its closed position.

Claim 13

A scoop shovel according to claim 8 wherein the other of said projections is engagable by said bottom wall upon the return of the latter to its closing position to retract said projections and disengage said one projection from said latching means.