Pneumatic dispensing apparatus for finely divided dry substances

Claim 2

Portable apparatus for pneumatically distributing finely divided substances such as dry powdered or granulated chemicals, comprising: a hopper (11) for normally supporting a bulk of said substance, said hopper having a restricted discharge opening (20) at its lower portion through which the substance tends to flow by gravity; means (23) movable transversely of said opening (20) for agitating said substance; a housing (35) having an inlet opening (38) a discharge opening (39) and having a fan therein; an imperforate conduit (25) connecting said hopper discharge opening to said housing inlet opening (38); said hopper opening, conduit, fan and housing inlet opening being axially and vertically alined to cause the substance to be conveyed in a rectilinear path from said hopper to said fan under the concurrently acting forces of gravity, agitation and air suction; said hopper (11) comprising a plurality of connected trapezoidal plate sections (11c, 11d, 11e, 11f) of an inverted truncated pyramid; said agitating means comprising an elongated dasher plate (23) extending upwardly from said discharge opening in spaced face-to-face position relative to one of said plate sections (11f), the opposite lateral edges (23a, 23b) of said dasher plate being respectively spaced from the proximate faces of the pyramidal trapezoidal plate sections (11c, 11d) connected to said last-named section (11f) to thereby permit the bulk substance to laterally surround the dasher plate; said plate (25) being provided with longitudinally spaced openings (32) through which said substance is adapted to flow back and forth as the plate oscillates, means (24) for mounting said plate for oscillation about its upper end; means (33) for yieldingly biasing said plate for movement toward said last-named section (11), and means including said biasing means (33) for oscillating said dasher plate to alternately press the substance on one side thereof against said last-named plate section (11f) and to laterally displace the substance on the other side thereof away from the latter plate section, respectively.

Claim 3

Portable apparatus for pneumatically distributing finely divided substances such as dry powdered or granulated chemicals, comprising: a hopper (11) for normally supporting a bulk of said substance, said hopper having a restricted discharge opening (20) at its lower portion through which the substance tends to flow by gravity; means (23) movable transversely of said opening for agitating said substance; a blower (35) disposed below said hopper (11) and having a suction inlet opening (38) and a forced draft outlet (39), said inlet opening being axially alined with said hopper discharge opening (20); an imperforate conduit (25) axially alined with and connecting said openings (20, 38) to cause the air supply for said blower to pass downwardly through the bulk substance in the hopper, through the connecting conduit (25) and through said suction opening (38) in the order named, whereby the substance will be conveyed from said hopper to said blower under the concurrently acting forces of gravity, agitation and air suction; said hopper (11) comprising a plurality of connected trapezoidal plate sections (11c, 11d, 11e, 11f) of an inverted truncated pyramid; said agitating means comprising an elongated dasher plate (23) extending upwardly from said discharge opening in a spaced face-to-face position relative to one of said plate sections (11f), the opposite lateral edges (23a, 23b) of said dasher plate being respectively spaced from the proximate faces of the pyramidal trapezoidal plate sections (11c, 11d) connected to said last named section (11f) to thereby permit the bulk substance to laterally surround the dasher plate; said dasher plate (23) being provided with longitudinally spaced openings (32) through which said substance is adapted to pass back and forth as the plate oscillates, and further comprising: means (24) for pivotally mounting the upper end of said plate to said last-named section (11f); means (33) for yieldingly biasing said plate for movement about said pivot means toward said last-named section (11), and means including said biasing means (33) for oscillating said dasher plate to alternately press the substance on one side thereof against said last-named plate section (11f) and to laterally displace the substance on the other side thereof, respectively; said oscillating means including a feed roller (27) disposed axially parallel to said pivot means (24) and transversely of said discharge opening (20), said roller having at least two sets of axially elongated and radially disposed teeth (28) engagable with the lower end of said plate, the teeth of each set being spaced apart longitudinally and staggered radially with the teeth of the adjacent set to thereby cause the teeth of the respective sets to alternately engage the plate end in opposition to said biasing means during rotation of said roller.

Claim 4

Portable apparatus for pneumatically distributing finely divided substances such as dry powdered or granulated chemicals, comprising: a hopper (11) for normally supporting a bulk of said substance, said hopper having a restricted discharge opening (20) at its lower portion through which the substance tends to flow by gravity; means (23) movable transversely of said opening for agitating said substance; a blower (35) disposed below said hopper (11) and having a suction inlet opening (38) and a forced draft outlet (39), said inlet opening being axially alined with said hopper discharge opening (20); an imperforate conduit (25) axially alined with and connecting said openings (20, 38) to cause the air supply for said blower to pass downwardly through the bulk substance in the hopper, through the connecting conduit (25) and through said suction opening (38) in the order named, whereby the substance will be conveyed from said hopper to said blower under the concurrently acting forces of gravity, agitation and air suction; said hopper (11) comprising a plurality of connected trapezoidal plate sections (11c, 11d, 11e, 11f) of an inverted truncated pyramid; said agitating means comprising an elongated dasher plate (23) extending upwardly from said discharge opening in a spaced face-to-face position relative to one of said plate sections (11f), the opposite lateral edges (23a, 23b) of said dasher plate being respectively spaced from the proximate faces of the pyramidal trapezoidal plate sections (11c, 11d) connected to said last named section (11f) to thereby permit the bulk substance to laterally surround the dasher plate; said dasher plate (23) being provided with longitudinally spaced openings (32) through which said substance is adapted to pass back and forth as the plate oscillates, and further comprising: means (24) for pivotally mounting the upper end of said plate to said last-named section (11f); means (33) for yieldingly biasing said plate for movement about said pivot means toward said last-named section (11), and means including said biasing means (33) for oscillating said dasher plate to alternately press the substance on one side thereof against said last-named plate section (11f) and to laterally displace the substance on the other side thereof, respectively; said oscillating means including a feed roller (27) disposed axially parallel to said pivot means (24) and transversely of said discharge opening (20), said roller having at least two sets of axially elongated and radially disposed teeth (28) engagable with the lower end of said plate, the teeth of each set being spaced apart longitudinally and staggered radially with the teeth of the adjacent set to thereby cause the teeth of the respective sets to alternately engage the plate end in opposition to said biasing means during rotation of said roller.