Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
287 words
Apparatus for extracting bulk material from a dump having a length, a foot defining the transverse width of said dump, a top defining the height of said dump, and an inclined transverse face extending between said top and said foot, and inclined lateral slopes along said length forming the sides of said dump, said apparatus comprising: a pair of base portions disposed on either side of said foot moveable in a direction of travel parallel to the length of said dump, a gantry extending from said bases and spanning said dump above said top and said lateral slopes, a transverse scraper chain conveyor including an arm pivotally mounted on said gantry and having a first working position adjacent said foot and a second working position above said lateral slopes and, driven clearing means movably arranged on said gantry and having an operating position wherein said clearing means is adapted to work on and to move over substantially the entirety of said transverse face in contact therewith so as to dislodge bulk material from said transverse face, said driven clearing means being moveable out of its operating position to an inoperative position above and clear from said lateral sides and said top of said dump, whereby when said clearing means is in said operating position and said scraper chain conveyor is in said first position said scraper chain conveyor removes material from said dump which is dislodged by said clearing means, and further, whereby when said clearing means is in said inoperative position and said scraper chain conveyor is in said second working position, said gantry may be moved along the length of said dump in said direction without interference from said clearing means and said conveyor means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
287 words
Apparatus for extracting bulk material from a dump having a length, a foot defining the transverse width of said dump, a top defining the height of said dump, and an inclined transverse face extending between said top and said foot, and inclined lateral slopes along said length forming the sides of said dump, said apparatus comprising: a pair of base portions disposed on either side of said foot moveable in a direction of travel parallel to the length of said dump, a gantry extending from said bases and spanning said dump above said top and said lateral slopes, a transverse scraper chain conveyor including an arm pivotally mounted on said gantry and having a first working position adjacent said foot and a second working position above said lateral slopes and, driven clearing means movably arranged on said gantry and having an operating position wherein said clearing means is adapted to work on and to move over substantially the entirety of said transverse face in contact therewith so as to dislodge bulk material from said transverse face, said driven clearing means being moveable out of its operating position to an inoperative position above and clear from said lateral sides and said top of said dump, whereby when said clearing means is in said operating position and said scraper chain conveyor is in said first position said scraper chain conveyor removes material from said dump which is dislodged by said clearing means, and further, whereby when said clearing means is in said inoperative position and said scraper chain conveyor is in said second working position, said gantry may be moved along the length of said dump in said direction without interference from said clearing means and said conveyor means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the free end portion of the arm bears laterally against the gantry.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
49 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein on that side of the gantry opposite to the pivotal mounting of the arm thereto, means are provided to support the arm laterally when it is in its first said working position at the bottom of the transverse face of the dump.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ends of the transverse scraper chain conveyor are carried by a rigid arm extending therebetween the length of the conveyor being at least substantially equal to the transverse width of the dump at its foot.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of transverse scraper chain conveyors are provided with arms pivotally mounted on the gantry substantially in parallel juxtaposition and one behind the other in longitudinal series.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
61 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 1, having two scraper chain conveyors each having an arm pivotally mounted adjacent one of the two feet of the gantry for movement in a vertical plane transverse to the said longitudinal direction, the sum of the lengths of these conveyors being at least substantially equal to the transverse width of the dump at its foot.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transverse scraper chain conveyor is carried by an arm having two hingedly connected parts.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 1, having an arm for supporting the clearing means extending from the gantry in the said direction of travel and above the top of the dump.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
50 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clearing means has a range of working positions and is reciprocable over the entire transverse face of the dump by means of a reciprocating drive, by means of which it can also be moved to a non-working position clear of said dump.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
39 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the clearing means is a flexible clearing element having a variable length, means being provided for accommodating the variation in the length moving over the transverse face of the dump during reciprocation.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the flexible clearing element is a clearing rope.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
90 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 10 having swivelling points for the flexible clearing element adjacent the feet of the two opposite sides of the gantry so as to be in the neighborhood of the foot of the dump, the reciprocating drive engaging the flexible clearing element between the two said swivelling points, at least one of which being a direction changing member for the flexible clearing element and over which extra length is brought in from a reserve or surplus length returned thereto to keep the flexible clearing element taut.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 10 having an arm for supporting the clearing means extending from the gantry in the said direction of travel and above the apex of the dump, the reciprocating drive being provided by a reciprocating winch with a cable therefrom to the flexible clearing element running over the said arm.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the clearing means is at aleast one rod-form clearing element.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
63 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 14 wherein one end of the rod-form clearing element is pivotally mounted on the apparatus adjacent the foot of the dump, while it is slidingly supported at a distance from the pivotal mounting in a member, which in turn is constructed and adapted to be raised and lowered on an inclined guide by means of the reciprocating drive.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
31 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the said member consists of a sleeve which is rotatably mounted on a saddle which is upwardly and downwardly movable on the inclined guide.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
14 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the clearing means is provided with teeth.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the clearing means is provided with driven cutting means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
39 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 1 having clearing means at either side of the apparatus, in the said direction of travel, forming double clearing means operable either forwardly or in reverse with respect to the said direction of travel.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
76 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the double clearing means consists of an endless clearing rope, the direction of which is changed a number of times in the region of one side of the base of the dump to provide a bight of rope as a reserve, by means of direction-changing members forming swivelling points, the rope sections constituting the clearing means at each side of the apparatus being acted on by respective reciprocating drives.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
34 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 1 also having stacking means for dumping bulk material onto the dump, the said stacking means being disposed on the apparatus outside the working position of the clearing means.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
29 words
Extraction apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the stack means includes a stacking belt mounted on the apparatus in such manner as to be swivellable in the vertical plane.