US3828919A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Feed conveyor with selective discharge
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-02-23
•
Granted: 1974-08-13
•
Expires: 1993-02-23
Abstract
Abstract A single-chain feed conveyor for silage and the like, having a series of flights on a central bottom chain, which normally discharges at its forward end, is modified to provide discharge at intermediate points. Silage is received from a silo in irregular amounts and conditions. Leveling means over the forward-conveying trough breaks up any large clumps of the silage, and distributes the material more evenly along the conveyor pockets. A pressure plate over the end portion of the conveyor presses any high-standing material into the pockets and holds the material in the pockets as the flights swing part way about the sprocket at the forward discharge end. A shroud at such discharge end has an open condition in which it permits normal forward-end discharge from beneath the pressure plate, and has a closed condition in which it forms a return bend channel to receive the conveyed material from beneath the pressure plate and guide it to the return trough containing the return stretch of the conveyor chain. The returning flights then convey the material along the return trough to an opening in any desired point therein. The return bend shroud is shaped with wide clearance from the conveyor flights at the top to permit freedom of movement of the pressure plate and permit the flights to free themselves of overlying material, and with close clearance at the bottom where the flights swing toward the return trough to pick up the material cleanly from the bottom of the shroud.
Inventors
- 👤 R Holtsclaw
- 👤 J Holtsclaw
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 12:43
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G47/00; B65G47/74; B65G47/78; B65G19/00; B65G19/18; B65G19/28
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
368 words
A selective discharge conveyor for silage and the like, comprising walls forming a forward-conveying trough and a return trough, a sprocket or the like at the forward end of said troughs, a conveyor including a series of spaced flights connected to a chain or the like, forming conveyor pockets between the flights, and movable forward along the forward trough, then about said sprocket and into and rearward along the return trough, the chain in said return trough being supported above the bottom edges of the flights and the conveyor pockets between the flights being downwardly open, drive means for driving the conveyor in said forward and return movement, wherein the improvements comprises a shroud about the forward end of the troughs, having an open condition in which it provides an opening for discharge of conveyed material from the conveyor flights as the flights pass about the sprocket, and having a closed condition in which the shroud forms a channel for guiding conveyed material to the return trough to be conveyed therealong by return movement of the flights, a pressure plate overlying the forward-conveying trough along that portion thereof where the conveyor pockets approach the sprocket to confine conveyed material in the pockets, said plate having a downward-sloping first section to compress high-standing material into the conveyor, and having a downward curved later section extending about a major portion of the upper quadrant of flight movement about the sprocket to turn the conveyed material downward to the lower part of the shroud, said pressure plate being mounted to the conveyor structure in a manner permitting its forward portion to float upward to pass excess material, and means biasing such forward portion downward toward the path of said flights, said shroud having an upper portion in clearance relation with the downward curved section of the pressure plate to permit the same to float upward, and having a lower arcuate outer wall portion in close clearance relation with the outer edges of the flights over a major portion of their lower quadrant of movement about the sprocket, and means forming an opening in the bottom of the return trough through which conveyed material will drop from the downwardly open conveyor spaces.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
368 words
A selective discharge conveyor for silage and the like, comprising walls forming a forward-conveying trough and a return trough, a sprocket or the like at the forward end of said troughs, a conveyor including a series of spaced flights connected to a chain or the like, forming conveyor pockets between the flights, and movable forward along the forward trough, then about said sprocket and into and rearward along the return trough, the chain in said return trough being supported above the bottom edges of the flights and the conveyor pockets between the flights being downwardly open, drive means for driving the conveyor in said forward and return movement, wherein the improvements comprises a shroud about the forward end of the troughs, having an open condition in which it provides an opening for discharge of conveyed material from the conveyor flights as the flights pass about the sprocket, and having a closed condition in which the shroud forms a channel for guiding conveyed material to the return trough to be conveyed therealong by return movement of the flights, a pressure plate overlying the forward-conveying trough along that portion thereof where the conveyor pockets approach the sprocket to confine conveyed material in the pockets, said plate having a downward-sloping first section to compress high-standing material into the conveyor, and having a downward curved later section extending about a major portion of the upper quadrant of flight movement about the sprocket to turn the conveyed material downward to the lower part of the shroud, said pressure plate being mounted to the conveyor structure in a manner permitting its forward portion to float upward to pass excess material, and means biasing such forward portion downward toward the path of said flights, said shroud having an upper portion in clearance relation with the downward curved section of the pressure plate to permit the same to float upward, and having a lower arcuate outer wall portion in close clearance relation with the outer edges of the flights over a major portion of their lower quadrant of movement about the sprocket, and means forming an opening in the bottom of the return trough through which conveyed material will drop from the downwardly open conveyor spaces.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
A conveyor as in claim 1 in which the pressure plate has a flat second section for confining the compressed material and leading to said curved section.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
A conveyor as in claim 1 with the addition of means located along the forward-conveying trough for leveling the conveyed material before it reaches the pressure plate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
371 words
A selective discharge conveyor for silage and the like, comprising walls forming upper and lower troughs, sprockets or the like at the opposite ends of said troughs, a conveyor including an endless series of spaced flights connected to a chain or the like and extending along the upper trough, about said sprockets and along the return trough, the chain in said return trough being supported above the bottom edges of the flights and the conveyor spaces between the flights being downwardly open, drive means for driving the conveyor toward one end in the upper trough and toward the other end in the lower trough, a shroud about said one end of the troughs for forming a return bend channel for guiding conveyed material from the upper trough to the bottom trough to be conveyed therealong by movement of the flights toward said other end, said shroud having an outer wall in wide clearance relation with the top edges of the flights as the flights begin their sweep through the bend and in close clearance relation therewith as the flights sweep through the bottom part of the bend, so as to cause the flights to pick up silage and the like in the bottom part of the shroud without catching such material between the flights and said wall, wherein the improvement comprises a pressure plate overlying the upper trough along that portion thereof where the conveyor flights approach the shroud at said one end thereof, said pressure plate having a downward sloping first section to compress high standing material into the conveyor spaces, a second section for confining the material therein and extending to the shroud and a third section joined to the forward end of the second section and extending in an arc about the path of the conveyor flights in underlapping relation with a substantial portion of shroud outer wall where such wall has wide clearance relation with the flights, said forward section being yieldingLy biased downward toward the upper trough so as to normally confine substantially within the conveyor spaces between the flights the material conveyed to the shroud, but to float upward as needed to pass limited amounts of excess material to the wide-clearance portion of the shroud.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
371 words
A selective discharge conveyor for silage and the like, comprising walls forming upper and lower troughs, sprockets or the like at the opposite ends of said troughs, a conveyor including an endless series of spaced flights connected to a chain or the like and extending along the upper trough, about said sprockets and along the return trough, the chain in said return trough being supported above the bottom edges of the flights and the conveyor spaces between the flights being downwardly open, drive means for driving the conveyor toward one end in the upper trough and toward the other end in the lower trough, a shroud about said one end of the troughs for forming a return bend channel for guiding conveyed material from the upper trough to the bottom trough to be conveyed therealong by movement of the flights toward said other end, said shroud having an outer wall in wide clearance relation with the top edges of the flights as the flights begin their sweep through the bend and in close clearance relation therewith as the flights sweep through the bottom part of the bend, so as to cause the flights to pick up silage and the like in the bottom part of the shroud without catching such material between the flights and said wall, wherein the improvement comprises a pressure plate overlying the upper trough along that portion thereof where the conveyor flights approach the shroud at said one end thereof, said pressure plate having a downward sloping first section to compress high standing material into the conveyor spaces, a second section for confining the material therein and extending to the shroud and a third section joined to the forward end of the second section and extending in an arc about the path of the conveyor flights in underlapping relation with a substantial portion of shroud outer wall where such wall has wide clearance relation with the flights, said forward section being yieldingLy biased downward toward the upper trough so as to normally confine substantially within the conveyor spaces between the flights the material conveyed to the shroud, but to float upward as needed to pass limited amounts of excess material to the wide-clearance portion of the shroud.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
367 words
A selective discharge conveyor for silage and the like, comprising walls forming a forward-conveying trough and a return trough, a sprocket or the like at the forward end of said troughs, a conveyor including a series of spaced flights connected to a chain or the like, forming conveyor pockets between the flights, and movable forward along the forward trough, then about said sprocket and into and rearward along the return trough, the chain in said return trough being supported above the bottom edges of the flights and the conveyor pockets between the flights being downwardly open, drive means for driving the conveyor in said forward and return movement, wherein the improvement comprises a shroud about the forward end of the troughs, having an open condition in which it provides an opening for discharge of conveyed material from the conveyor flights as the flights pass about the sprocket, and having a closed condition in which the shroud forms a channel for guiding conveyed material to the return trough to be conveyed therealong by return movement of the flights, a pressure plate overlying the forward-conveying trough along that portion thereof where the conveyor pockets approach the sprocket to confine conveyed material in the pockets, said plate having a downward-sloping first section over the conveyor to compress high-standing material into the conveyor pockets, a flat second section for confining the compressed material, and a downward curved section joined to said second section and extending about a major portion of the upper quadrant of flight movement about the sprocket to turn the conveyed material downward to the lower part of the shroud, said shroud having a lower arcuate outer wall portion in close clearance relation with the outer edges of the flights over a major portion of their lower quadrant of movement about the sprocket, and means forming an opening in the bottom of the return trough through which conveyed material will drop from the downwardly open conveyor spaces, said shroud having an end wall curved about the path of the conveyor flights, overlying said downward curved section of the pressure plate and in progressively decreasing spacing from the path of the flights as they move from vertical to horizontal position.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
367 words
A selective discharge conveyor for silage and the like, comprising walls forming a forward-conveying trough and a return trough, a sprocket or the like at the forward end of said troughs, a conveyor including a series of spaced flights connected to a chain or the like, forming conveyor pockets between the flights, and movable forward along the forward trough, then about said sprocket and into and rearward along the return trough, the chain in said return trough being supported above the bottom edges of the flights and the conveyor pockets between the flights being downwardly open, drive means for driving the conveyor in said forward and return movement, wherein the improvement comprises a shroud about the forward end of the troughs, having an open condition in which it provides an opening for discharge of conveyed material from the conveyor flights as the flights pass about the sprocket, and having a closed condition in which the shroud forms a channel for guiding conveyed material to the return trough to be conveyed therealong by return movement of the flights, a pressure plate overlying the forward-conveying trough along that portion thereof where the conveyor pockets approach the sprocket to confine conveyed material in the pockets, said plate having a downward-sloping first section over the conveyor to compress high-standing material into the conveyor pockets, a flat second section for confining the compressed material, and a downward curved section joined to said second section and extending about a major portion of the upper quadrant of flight movement about the sprocket to turn the conveyed material downward to the lower part of the shroud, said shroud having a lower arcuate outer wall portion in close clearance relation with the outer edges of the flights over a major portion of their lower quadrant of movement about the sprocket, and means forming an opening in the bottom of the return trough through which conveyed material will drop from the downwardly open conveyor spaces, said shroud having an end wall curved about the path of the conveyor flights, overlying said downward curved section of the pressure plate and in progressively decreasing spacing from the path of the flights as they move from vertical to horizontal position.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
A conveyor as in claim 5 with the addition of means located along the forward-conveying trough for leveling the conveyed material before it reaches the pressure plate.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-08-12 | 1978-02-11 | 1978-08-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-08-12 | 1982-02-11 | 1982-08-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-08-12 | 1986-02-11 | 1986-08-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |