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US3987307A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Particulate material powered prime mover

Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1974-12-11
•
Granted: 1976-10-19
•
Expires: 1994-12-11
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Abstract

Abstract There is disclosed a prime motive means powered by the tailings of mines, the crushed material emanating from quarries and/or the earth removed in strip mining operations. The system takes advantage of the fact that in any mine-like operation a relatively large hole is produced which extends for a finite distance below the normal topography of the surface of the surrounding land. The system includes a driven wheel mounted in a horizontal axis having particulate matter receiving means at the outermost circumference thereof. The wheel is located near substantially the bottom of the quarry or pit. Guidance means are provided to discharge the aforementioned particulate material from the upper reaches of the quarry or pit onto the flights or buckets of the driven wheel. The wheel, as in the case of a water wheel, discharges the particulate material onto a slide. The particulate material then slides to an area of accumulation adapted and constructed to make the particulate material accessible to a vertically oriented endless conveyer system having buckets designed to carry the particulate material upwardly to a hopper from which the particulate material is then redistributed to the driven wheel. The endless conveyer is driven by suitable means such as an electric motor or internal combustion engine. The driven wheel may be suitably coupled through transmission means to an electric generator. The current produced by the generator may be used to supplement the requirements of the motive means employed to drive the endless conveyer system.

Inventors

  • 👤 Renell A. Giconi

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-03 07:19
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02K; H02K7/00; H02K7/18; H02K7/1807; H02K7/1823; F; F03; F03G; F03G3/00; F03G3/02; F03G3/04

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim 128 words
A device for obtaining rotative force, said device comprising a man-dug depression in the ground and an apparatus for obtaining rotative force from particulate material comprising a reservoir means for holding particulate material, means for feeding said particulate material into said reservoir means on a first level, an elongated passageway positioned below said reservoir means and in communication therewith, a driven wheel means at a second level below the lower terminus of said passageway, said driven wheel means adapted and constructed to be driven by said particulate material, said driven wheel means being rotatable on a horizontal axle, means positioned below said driven wheel means at a third level for distributing said particulate material away from said driven wheel means, said apparatus being wholly positioned in said depression.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 128 words
A device for obtaining rotative force, said device comprising a man-dug depression in the ground and an apparatus for obtaining rotative force from particulate material comprising a reservoir means for holding particulate material, means for feeding said particulate material into said reservoir means on a first level, an elongated passageway positioned below said reservoir means and in communication therewith, a driven wheel means at a second level below the lower terminus of said passageway, said driven wheel means adapted and constructed to be driven by said particulate material, said driven wheel means being rotatable on a horizontal axle, means positioned below said driven wheel means at a third level for distributing said particulate material away from said driven wheel means, said apparatus being wholly positioned in said depression.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 42 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein there is included means adjacent the distributing means to raise a portion of the particulate material to said first level and said raising means is positioned to receive said distributed particulate material below said second level.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 19 words
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the raising means comprises a vertically oriented endless conveyor system having buckets thereon.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 18 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the particulate material is crushed stone and the depression is a quarry.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 16 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the driven wheel operates an electric generator through transmission means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 85 words
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the driven wheel has spaced buckets on the periphery thereof for receiving the particulate material, said buckets are adapted and constructed to contain 1 cubic foot of said material, said driven wheel has a diameter of substantially 12 feet, said driven wheel operated at a speed of 12 revolutions per minute, said transmission means is adapted and constructed to drive said electric generator at 600 revolutions per minute, and said electric generator is a 12 pole alternating current generator.
Claim 8
Independent Claim 94 words
A method for obtaining rotative force comprising removing a portion of the overlying strata of the earth to produce a depression, comminuting at least a portion of said strata to produce particulate material, collecting a quantity of such material at a location at substantially the top portion of said depression, then discharging portions of said particulate material into the depression through a defined passageway, impinging said particulate material onto a responsive rotatable driven means located in the depression to thereby rotate said means, and thereafter moving said particulate material away from said driven means.
Claim 9
Independent Claim 94 words
A method for obtaining rotative force comprising removing a portion of the overlying strata of the earth to produce a depression, comminuting at least a portion of said strata to produce particulate material, collecting a quantity of such material at a location at substantially the top portion of said depression, then discharging portions of said particulate material into the depression through a defined passageway, impinging said particulate material onto a responsive rotatable driven means located in the depression to thereby rotate said means, and thereafter moving said particulate material away from said driven means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 20 words
The method of claim 1, including the step of rotating an electric generator by the rotative force which is developed.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US1276112A Cited
US1254320A Cited
US1375881A Cited
US1550619A Cited
US2890532A Cited
US3209899A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1979-10-19 1980-04-19 1980-10-19 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1983-10-19 1984-04-19 1984-10-19 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1987-10-19 1988-04-19 1988-10-19 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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