Dragline conveyor

Claim 1

An apparatus for self-actuated scooping-up of particulate material disposed in a sector-shaped storage space radially around a feeder and stored thereagainst having a rotatable chassis associated therewith including a derrick having a free end being hingeably attached thereto and traction and backhaul cables for the movement of a container via independent cableportions guided via respective cable drums and switches controlling the drive of said respective cable-drums for the forward and rearward conveyance of said container comprising: a guide pulley, said backhaul cable being prevented from being unwound and said cable drums including traction and backhaul cable drums, said traction cable being only wound around said traction cable-drum until a length of said backhaul cable hanging from said guide pulley is used up; and an active-supply partition separating a non-active supply of said particulate material from an active supply thereof, said backhaul cable-drum coupled to said traction cable-drum being thereupon decoupled therefrom and upon said container reaching said partition said backhaul cable drum being arrested, said traction cable-drum being kept running, said traction and backhaul cables enclosing an angle, said container hovering above said storage space being returned to said free end of said derrick upon said angle substantially approaching 180* and said traction and backhaul cable-drums concurrently turning in opposite directions.

Claim 2

An apparatus for self-actuated scooping-up of particulate material disposed in a sector-shaped storage space radially around a feeder and stored thereagainst having a rotatable chassis associated therewith including a derrick having a free end being hingeably attached thereto and traction and backhaul cables for the movement of a container via independent cableportions guided via respective cable drums and switches controlling the drive of said respective cable-drums for the forward and rearward conveyance of said container comprising: a guide pulley, said backhaul cable being prevented from being unwound and said cable drums including traction and backhaul cable drums, said traction cable being only wound around said traction cable-drum until a length of said backhaul cable hanging from said guide pulley is used up; and an active-supply partition separating a non-active supply of said particulate material from an active supply thereof, said backhaul cable-drum coupled to said traction cable-drum being thereupon decoupled therefrom and upon said container reaching said partition said backhaul cable drum being arrested, said traction cable-drum being kept running, said traction and backhaul cables enclosing an angle, said container hovering above said storage space being returned to said free end of said derrick upon said angle substantially approaching 180* and said traction and backhaul cable-drums concurrently turning in opposite directions.

Claim 7

A method of self-actuated scooping-up of particulate material from a container held by traction and backhaul cables wound on respective traction and backhaul cable drums from a sector-shaped storage-space comprising the steps of: a. dragging said container held by said traction and backhaul cables along an upward slope of said particulate material for scooping-up a predetermined part thereof from an initial starting-position to a first-predetermined point on said slope; b. unwinding said backhaul cable from said backhaul cable drum, holding said backhaul cable taut upon completion of step (a) and continuing to drag said container from said first predetermined point to a second predetermined point on said slope marked by a partition; c. unloading the scooped-up material from said container into an active supply located beyond said partition in the direction of motion of said container upon completion of step (b), arresting the unwinding motion of said backhaul cable from said backhaul cable drum and lifting said container until the angle enclosed by said traction and backhaul cable reaches substantially 180*; d. reversing the horizontal component of motion of said container upon completion of step (d) and holding said traction and backhaul cables taut until said container reaches a third predetermined point while hovering above said storage space; e. arresting said unwinding motion of said backhaul cable from said backhaul cable-drum and allowing said traction cable to unwind from said traction cable-drum, said container thereby being swung through an arc downwards to a location having a horizontal coordinate substantially equal to the horizontal coordinate of said initial position; and f. unwinding said backhaul cable from said backhaul cable-drum and holding said backhaul cable taut in a controlled manner upon completion of step (e), the container thereby descending substantially to said starting position.

Claim 8

A method of self-actuated scooping-up of particulate material from a container held by traction and backhaul cables wound on respective traction and backhaul cable drums from a sector-shaped storage-space comprising the steps of: a. dragging said container held by said traction and backhaul cables along an upward slope of said particulate material for scooping-up a predetermined part thereof from an initial starting-position to a first-predetermined point on said slope; b. unwinding said backhaul cable from said backhaul cable drum, holding said backhaul cable taut upon completion of step (a) and continuing to drag said container from said first predetermined point to a second predetermined point on said slope marked by a partition; c. unloading the scooped-up material from said container into an active supply located beyond said partition in the direction of motion of said container upon completion of step (b), arresting the unwinding motion of said backhaul cable from said backhaul cable drum and lifting said container until the angle enclosed by said traction and backhaul cable reaches substantially 180*; d. reversing the horizontal component of motion of said container upon completion of step (d) and holding said traction and backhaul cables taut until said container reaches a third predetermined point while hovering above said storage space; e. arresting said unwinding motion of said backhaul cable from said backhaul cable-drum and allowing said traction cable to unwind from said traction cable-drum, said container thereby being swung through an arc downwards to a location having a horizontal coordinate substantially equal to the horizontal coordinate of said initial position; and f. unwinding said backhaul cable from said backhaul cable-drum and holding said backhaul cable taut in a controlled manner upon completion of step (e), the container thereby descending substantially to said starting position.