Portable hopper assembly for bulk material with selectively operable power and gravity feed

Claim 2

A unitary portable hopper assembly for bulk dispensing quantities of flowable material, said hopper assembly having a main support frame, a hopper having a charging opening and an outlet spaced therefrom, means tiltably mounting said hopper on said frame, curved closure plate means for said hopper outlet immovably fixed to said support frame and having a radius of curvature centered close to but offset slightly from the tilting axis of said hopper and effective to prevent flow of material from said outlet when said hopper is tilted to the normal closed position thereof at one extremity of its tilting range of movement, and linkage means connected between said support frame and said hopper operable to tilt said hopper outlet away from said closure plate means in differing amounts to regulate the rate of flow allowed to take place through said outlet.

Claim 3

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said support frame includes strut means projecting downwardly below said outlet by a substantial distance and adapted to support said outlet at a convenient working height above a wheeled bulk carrier for the discharge of material from the hopper into the carrier.

Claim 4

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said support frame includes sKid means mounted on said strut means and effective to facilitate skidding of said assembly from place to place along a support surface.

Claim 5

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said support frame includes triangularly shaped frame means positioned to either lateral side of said hopper and the outlet thereof with its upper apex ends tiltably connected to the opposite lateral sides of said hopper.

Claim 6

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 4 characterized in that said tiltable mounting means for said hopper are located closely adjacent a horizontal axis passing through the center of gravity of said hopper, and spring means connected between said hopper and said support frame arranged to be tensioned increasingly as said hopper is pivoted further away from the closed position thereof.

Claim 7

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said hopper operating linkage means includes manual means for moving the same between the closed and open positions thereof.

Claim 8

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 6 characterized in that said manually operated linkage means includes a U-shaped operating lever embracing said hopper crosswise of the forward face thereof with the ends of the legs of said U-shaped lever pivoted to said support frame along a horizontal axis, and linkage means connected between the legs of said U-shaped lever and the adjacent side walls of said hopper and operable as said U-shaped lever is pivoted downwardly to pivot said hopper away from the closed position thereof.

Claim 9

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said tiltable mounting means interconnecting said hopper and said support frame is so constructed and arranged that the weight of said hopper and its contents are effective to bias said hopper to tilt toward said fixed closure means.

Claim 10

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 8 characterized in that said tiltable mounting means includes eccentric means so arranged as to require the hopper and its contents to be elevated while being moved away from the closed portion of said hopper outlet.

Claim 11

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said closure plate means has a cylindrical closure surface closely adjacent the rim edges of said hopper outlet and which rim edges lie in a cylindrical surface corresponding generally with the cylindrical surface of said closure plate means.

Claim 12

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 10 characterized in that said closure plate means is generally rectangular in shape with one transverse edge uppermost and lying below the adjacent transverse side wall of said hopper and with its other transverse edge positioned at a lower level than said one edge, said hopper being tiltable rearwardly crosswise of said other edge, and the volume of flow occuring across said other edge of said closure plate means being dependent upon the degree of rearward tilting movement of said hopper away from the closed position thereof.

Claim 13

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 10 characterized in that the axis of the cylindrical surface of said closure plate means is offset slightly from the axis of rotation of said hopper outlet whereby the rim of said hopper outlet tends to open away from the juxtaposed surface areas of said closure plate means.

Claim 14

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 10 characterized in that said one edge portion of said closure plate means includes stop means to limit the closing movement of said hopper.

Claim 15

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said hopper includes one generally upright side wall and a plurality of downwardly converging side walls having their respective lower rim edges cooperating to define the perimeter of said hopper outlet.

Claim 16

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 14 characterized in that said support frame includes yoke means overlying the upper end of said hopper for use in suspending said hopper assembly from hoisting cable means.

Claim 17

A hopper assembly as defineD in claim 14 characterized in that said support frame has generally triangular side frame members disposed to either lateral side of the hopper outlet and includes transverse connector members extending crosswise of the lower portion of said frame members and crosswise of the upright side wall portion of said hopper.

Claim 18

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 16 characterized in that said linkage includes a manually operable operating lever having its lower end pivoted to said support frame and equipped with relatively short arm means rigid therewith, and linkage means connecting the lower end of said hopper to the outer end of said short arm means and cooperating with the latter to form a toggle linkage.

Claim 19

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 17 characterized in that the connection between the last mentioned linkage means and said short arm means comprises a live pivot which is movable crosswise of dead center as said hopper reaches the closed position thereof and stop means for holding live pivot in locked position.

Claim 20

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of distributing chute means having an inlet end with its sidewalls positioned to cooperate with the juxtaposed surfaces of said hopper outlet in forming a working seal with said outlet as the hopper pivots between the open and closed positions thereof and to receive material flowing out of said hopper outlet, said hopper having a pusher projecting into said chute means from the lower rear edge of said hopper outlet and effective to push material forwardly therealong as the hopper pivots forwardly toward a closed position, and means for pivoting said hopper back and forth lengthwise of the inlet end of said chute means to discharge a fresh quantity of material thereinto as said hopper pivots to an open position and to transfer material then in said chute means therealong as the hopper pivots to its closed position.

Claim 21

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 19 characterized in that said means for pivoting said hopper back and forth includes motor means mounted on said support frame and including means interconnecting said motor means and said hopper and operable by said motor means to reciprocate the outlet end of said hopper to and fro lengthwise of said chute means.

Claim 22

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 19 characterized in that said chute means is channel-shaped in cross section along the inlet end thereof with the upper edges of its side walls positioned to provide in cooperation with the adjacent surfaces of the hopper outlet an effective seal against the escape of material as the hopper pivots between the open and closed positions thereof.

Claim 23

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 19 characterized in that said material pusher operates to measure substantially equal consecutive increments of material during successive cycles thereof.

Claim 24

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 19 characterized in the provision of normally closed valve means in the bottom of said chute means in flow alignment with the hopper outlet when the latter is in any open position whereby material discharging from said hopper may be discharged by gravity without passing along said chute means when said valve means is open and whereby discharging material must pass along said chute means when said valve means is closed.

Claim 25

A hopper assembly as defined in claim 23 characterized in that said assembly is selectively operable to discharge material through the outlet thereof directly to the area underlying said outlet or to forcibly advance successive increments of discharging material along said chute means to a delivery area spaced a substantial distance from said hopper assembly.