Collector for a pneumatic dispenser

Claim 2

In a pneumatic material dispenser having a housing, a rotary member disposed within the housing for carrying material on its periphery, a collector within the periphery of said rotary member having a plurality of axially spaced discrete material collection passages having first openings near the periphery of the rotary element for gravitationally receiving material dropped from said rotary member, a plurality of discharge tubes in exclusive fluid communication respectively with each of the collection passages and having distal ends, and air supply means for delivery of air into the collection passage ends of said discharge tubes at a higher pressure than said distal ends to propel the material therethrough, the improvement wherein said collection passages have second openings downstream from said first material collection openings, said second openings opening transversely of said collector, said air supply means comprises a plenum chamber disposed within said housing adjacent said collector for receiving air from a source of pressurized air, and air passage means establishing communication between said plenum chamber and said collection passages at said second openings.

Claim 3

The invention in accordance with claim 1 and an opening from said plenum chamber to said housing to maintain the housing at a positive pressure slightly lower than said plenum chamber.

Claim 4

The invention in accordance with claim 1 and said air passage means comprising a plurality of air passages, each of said passages exclusively communicating with one material collection passage and being downwardly directed thereinto toward said discharge tubes.

Claim 5

In a pneumatic granular material dispenser having a material carrying housing, a rotor disposed within the housing having circumferential axially elongated buckets for picking up said material and dumping said material in the upper portion of the housing, a collector disposed within the bucket periphery for gravitationally receiving material dumped from the buckets over a rotational interval, said collector having a rotationally forward wall and a rotationally rearward wall and a plurality of axially spaced walls dividing said collector into a plurality of axially spaced discrete collection passages having first material collection openings near the bucket periphery, a plurality of discharge tubes in exclusive fluid communication respectively with each of said collection passages, and air supply means for propelling said material through said discharge tubes externally of the housing, the improvement wherein each of said collection passages has a second opening through said rotationally forward wall downstream from said material collection opening, said air supply means comprises a plenum chamber disposed within said housing for receiving pressurized air from a source, and a plurality of air passages from the plenum chamber to the collection passages, each air passage communicating exclusively with one collection passage at said second opening and being directed toward the discharge tubes.

Claim 6

In a pneumatic granular material dispenser having a material carrying housing, a rotor disposed within the housing having circumferential axially elongated buckets for picking up said material and dumping said material in the upper portion of the housing, a collector disposed within the bucket periphery for gravitationally receiving material dumped from the buckets over a rotational interval, said collector having a rotationally forward wall and a rotationally rearward wall and a plurality of axially spaced walls dividing said collector into a plurality of axially spaced discrete collection passages having first material collection openings near the bucket periphery, a plurality of discharge tubes in exclusive fluid communication respectively with each of said collection passages, and air supply means for propelling said material through said discharge tubes externally of the housing, the improvement wherein each of said collection passages has a second opening through said rotationally forward wall downstream from said material collection opening, said air supply means comprises a plenum chamber disposed within said housing for receiving pressurized air from a source, and a plurality of air passages from the plenum chamber to the collection passages, each air passage communicating exclusively with one collection passage at said second opening and being directed toward the discharge tubes.

Claim 7

The invention in accordance with claim 4 and one of said rotationally forward and rearward walls extending inwardly of the opening of said discharge tubes, said plenum chamber being disposed adjacent said one wall.

Claim 8

The invention in accordance with claim 5 and said axially spaced walls being extended into said plenum chamber to form the axial walls of said air passages.

Claim 9

The invention in accordance with claim 5 and said one wall being the rotationally forward wall, the surface of said one wall external of the collection passages being a wall of said air passage.

Claim 10

The invention in accordance with claim 7 and a wall of said air passage comprising a convex surface reducing the cross-sectional area of said passage from the plenum chamber toward said material collection passages.

Claim 11

The invention in accordance with claim 4 and the cross-sectional area of said air passages being reduced in size from the plenum chamber to said material collection passages to reduce the pressure at the material collection ends of said air passages.

Claim 12

The invention in accordance with claim 9 and the pressure at said material collection passage ends of said air passages being equal to or slightly lower than the pressure in said housing.

Claim 13

In a pneumatic material dispenser having a housing, a rotary member disposed within the housing for carrying material on its periphery, a collector within the periphery of said rotary member having a plurality of axially spaced discrete collection passages having material collection openings near the periphery of the rotary element for gravitationally receiving material dropped from the rotary member, a plurality of discharge tubes in exclusive fluid communcation with each of the collection passages and having distal ends, and air supply means for delivery of air to the collection passage ends of said discharge tubes at a higher pressure than said distal ends to propel the material therethrough, the improvement wherein said air supply means comprises a plenum chamber disposed within said housing parallelly adjacent the collector for receiving air from a source of pressurized air and air passage means establishing communication between said plenum chamber and said collection passages at locations downstream from said material collection openings thereof.

Claim 14

In a pneumatic material dispenser having a housing, a rotary member disposed within the housing for carrying material on its periphery, a collector within the periphery of said rotary member having a plurality of axially spaced discrete collection passages having material collection openings near the periphery of the rotary element for gravitationally receiving material dropped from the rotary member, a plurality of discharge tubes in exclusive fluid communcation with each of the collection passages and having distal ends, and air supply means for delivery of air to the collection passage ends of said discharge tubes at a higher pressure than said distal ends to propel the material therethrough, the improvement wherein said air supply means comprises a plenum chamber disposed within said housing parallelly adjacent the collector for receiving air from a source of pressurized air and air passage means establishing communication between said plenum chamber and said collection passages at locations downstream from said material collection openings thereof.

Claim 15

The invention in accordance with claim 11 and said collector and said plenum chamber having a common wall.