Patent US3851749A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3851749A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Drag lines for concrete
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-05-22
•
Granted: 1974-12-03
•
Expires: 1993-05-22
Abstract
Abstract An automatic dragline is disclosed including a hollow tower which supports a motor driven rotating platform from which a cantilever jib extends for supporting a dragline bucket positionable for use in bunkers defined by radial walls extending from the tower with selectively operable ports in the bottom of the tower in each bunker enabling material feed from each bunker to the tower interior; material detectors are located at the maximum material level on the tower wall in each bunker; an automatic control circuit including bucket height detectors, cable slack detectors and winch control members insures optimum movement efficiency of the dragline bucket.
Inventors
- 👤 L Vidal
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 13:21
CPC Classifications
E; E02; E02F; E02F3/00; E02F3/04; E02F3/46; E02F3/48
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
283 words
An improved drag line system comprising a tower, radial walls extending from said tower to define separating bunkers, infeed ports provided at the bottom of said tower in each of said bunkers, a rotary platform mounted on an elevated portion of said tower, a cantilever jib mounted on said rotary platform, an idler roller at the outer end of said cantilever jib, a bucket return winch mounted on said rotary platform, a return cable wound on said bucket return winch and extending over said idler roller, a scraper bucket having said return cable fastened to a back portion thereof, a scraping winch on said platform, a scraping cable wound on said scraping winch and having its outer end connected to a front portion of said scraper bucket and control means for controlling sAid bucket return winch and said scraping winch for sequentially moving the bucket in a closed loop of travel in a vertical plane comprising a lower scraping path inwardly toward said tower, a lifting path upwardly adjacent the tower at the inner termination of the scraping path, a return path from the upper termination of the lifting path outwardly toward the outer end of said jib and a lowering path from the outer termination of the return path to the outer end of the scraping path, said control means including an active sensor means for detecting movement of the bucket to a position closely adjacent the tower by the scraping winch for immediately stopping the winding of the scraping winch and providing a time delayed initiation of operation of the winding of the return winch and unwinding of the scraping winch to initiate movement of said bucket along said return path.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
283 words
An improved drag line system comprising a tower, radial walls extending from said tower to define separating bunkers, infeed ports provided at the bottom of said tower in each of said bunkers, a rotary platform mounted on an elevated portion of said tower, a cantilever jib mounted on said rotary platform, an idler roller at the outer end of said cantilever jib, a bucket return winch mounted on said rotary platform, a return cable wound on said bucket return winch and extending over said idler roller, a scraper bucket having said return cable fastened to a back portion thereof, a scraping winch on said platform, a scraping cable wound on said scraping winch and having its outer end connected to a front portion of said scraper bucket and control means for controlling sAid bucket return winch and said scraping winch for sequentially moving the bucket in a closed loop of travel in a vertical plane comprising a lower scraping path inwardly toward said tower, a lifting path upwardly adjacent the tower at the inner termination of the scraping path, a return path from the upper termination of the lifting path outwardly toward the outer end of said jib and a lowering path from the outer termination of the return path to the outer end of the scraping path, said control means including an active sensor means for detecting movement of the bucket to a position closely adjacent the tower by the scraping winch for immediately stopping the winding of the scraping winch and providing a time delayed initiation of operation of the winding of the return winch and unwinding of the scraping winch to initiate movement of said bucket along said return path.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
58 words
The invention of claim 1 wherein said control means additionally includes brake actuating means including a brake application switch for initiating the application of a brake on the return winch in response to the sensing of the position of a bucket a small distance farther out from the tower than the position detected by said active sensor means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
90 words
The invention of claim 2 additionally including a material detector means in each bunker situated on the tower at the maximum level to which the material in each respective bunker is permitted to reach and a position detector means operable in conjunction with said material detector means for detecting positioning of the bucket during a scraping operation in an intermediate zone outwardly of said tower to initiate winding of the return winch and unwinding of the scraping winch for effecting upward lifting of the bucket over material in the bunker.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The invention of claim 3 wherein said control means includes means for initiating the winding of the return winch at a time slightly prior to the initiation of the unwinding of the scraping winch.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The invention of claim 4 wherein said control means includes means for maintaining said return cable in a taut condition as the bucket moves along said return path.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
76 words
The invention of claim 5 wherein said control means includes means for controlling the return winch and the scraping winch as the bucket reaches a position approaching the outer end of said return path so that the bucket moves outwardly and downwardly following an inclined path to a position beneath the outer end of the jib followed by unwinding of the return winch to vertically lower the bucket to the outer end of the scraping path.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
The invention of claim 6 wherein said control means includes means for indexing said jib through successive positions over one bunker solely when said bucket is moving along said return path to provide complete traversal of all parts of the bunker by the bucket.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
64 words
The invention of claim 7 wherein said control means includes first and second movable actuator means respectively drivingly connected to said bracket return winch and said scraping winch so as to be positioned in accordance with the amount of cable on said winches at any given moment and switch means engageable by said actuator means for effecting the various control functions of said winches.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
39 words
The invention of claim 7 wherein said control means additionally includes switch actuators mounted on said return cable and said scraping cable for actuating switch means fixedly mounted adjacent said cables for effecting various control functions of said winches.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-02 | 1978-06-03 | 1978-12-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-02 | 1982-06-03 | 1982-12-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-02 | 1986-06-03 | 1986-12-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |