US5243767A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for processing particulate material
Assignee: Grana Inc
•
Filing: 1992-07-30
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Granted: 1993-09-14
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Expires: 2012-07-30
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for drying particulate materials such as seeds and grains in which an air dryer having a shape of a vertical, cylinder and at least one drying stage with a mesh screen disposed therein with a horizontal mesh screen. An upwardly vertical air flow having a velocity in the mesh openings at least equal or larger than to the suspension speed of the particles to be dried temporarily suspends the particles until enough accumulate to provide sufficient weight or downward pressure for the particles to overcome the upward air flow, pass downward through one or more mesh screens and reach the bottom of the dryer.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter Stein
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 06:44
CPC Classifications
F; F26; F26B; F26B17/00; F26B17/10; F26B17/101; F26B17/104; F26B17/107
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
186 words
An air dryer for drying particle formed materials comprising: a housing having a top, bottom and substantially parallel side walls and defining an interior having a substantially uniform cross-section in the vertical direction; means for introducing materials to be dried into said housing; at least one drying stage having mesh means defining openings slightly greater than the largest size particle of the material to be dried, said drying stage located between the top and bottom walls and extending to the side walls of said housing; air flow means for extracting air form the top of said housing and for creating a subatmospheric pressure and a rotating and upwardly vertical flow of air within said housing having a velocity within the mesh openings at least equal to the speed at which the material to be dried remains suspended, and for suspending the particles above the mesh means until enough particles accumulate above the mesh means to provide sufficient weight or downward pressure for the particles to overcome the upward air flow, pass through the openings in the mesh means and fall to the bottom of said housing.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
186 words
An air dryer for drying particle formed materials comprising: a housing having a top, bottom and substantially parallel side walls and defining an interior having a substantially uniform cross-section in the vertical direction; means for introducing materials to be dried into said housing; at least one drying stage having mesh means defining openings slightly greater than the largest size particle of the material to be dried, said drying stage located between the top and bottom walls and extending to the side walls of said housing; air flow means for extracting air form the top of said housing and for creating a subatmospheric pressure and a rotating and upwardly vertical flow of air within said housing having a velocity within the mesh openings at least equal to the speed at which the material to be dried remains suspended, and for suspending the particles above the mesh means until enough particles accumulate above the mesh means to provide sufficient weight or downward pressure for the particles to overcome the upward air flow, pass through the openings in the mesh means and fall to the bottom of said housing.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The air dryer according to claim 1, wherein the air flow means comprise an air inlet means at the bottom of the housing and air outlet means at the top of the housing.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, wherein the particle formed materials are seeds or grains.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, wherein said housing is cylindrical.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, wherein said means for introducing comprises a plurality of concentric distribution cones to distribute said materials over a horizontal plane of an uppermost drying stage.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, further comprising supply means for supplying said materials to the interior of said distributor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
An air dryer according to claim 6, wherein said supply means is a belt conveyor.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, wherein said mesh means comprises a ring and a wire mesh screen attached to said ring.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, further comprising removal means for removing dried materials from the bottom of said housing.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, wherein the number of said drying stages is about five.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, wherein said air flow means comprises means for introducing air tangentially to the bottom of said housing.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, further comprising heating means for heating the air entering the housing.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
65 words
An air dryer according to claim 12, wherein said means for heating the air entering the housing comprises an inner chamber for receiving air to be heated and for providing heated air to the housing and an outer chamber, in thermal communication with the inner chamber, for receiving combustion air, whereby air in said inner chamber is heated through thermal contact with said outer chamber.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
An air dryer according to claim which further comprises an extraction fan and a damper for controlling the upward rate of flow of air within said housing.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
An air dryer according to claim 2, further comprising a separator placed after the outlet means for removing relatively small particle material from outlet air.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
23 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, further comprising material removal means at the bottom of the housing for removing said dried materials.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, wherein said housing has a plurality of windows for monitoring drying stages within said housing.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
23 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, further comprising means for dividing the interior of said housing into a plurality of vertical chambers.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
62 words
An air dryer according to claim 1, wherein said outlet means comprises an upper spiral shaped exit chamber communicating with the housing top by a plurality of openings in the vicinity of the top of said housing, and a corresponding plurality of pivotable gates over said openings to control the air flow through said openings, and the rotation of the upward airflow.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
57 words
An air dryer according the claim 1, wherein said air flow means further comprises a lower spiral shaped air flow chamber communicating with the chamber bottom wall by a plurality of openings in the bottom wall of said housing, and a corresponding plurality of pivotable gates over said openings to control the air flow through said openings.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
182 words
A method for drying particle formed materials comprising the steps of: loading particle formed materials to be dried into the top of a housing of a dryer having a top, bottom and substantially parallel side walls to define an interior having a substantially uniform cross-section in the vertical direction, and at least one drying stage having a mesh means defining openings slightly greater than the largest size particles to be dried, said drying stage located between the top and bottom walls and extending to the side walls of the housing; and extracting air form the top of the housing and for creating a subatmosphere pressure and a rotating and upward air flow in said housing having a velocity within the mesh openings at least equal to the suspension speed of particles to be dried, whereby particles to be dried will remain suspended until enough particles accumulate above the mesh means to provide sufficient weight or downward pressure for the particles to overcome the upward air flow, pass through the opening sin the mesh means and fall to the bottom of said housing.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
182 words
A method for drying particle formed materials comprising the steps of: loading particle formed materials to be dried into the top of a housing of a dryer having a top, bottom and substantially parallel side walls to define an interior having a substantially uniform cross-section in the vertical direction, and at least one drying stage having a mesh means defining openings slightly greater than the largest size particles to be dried, said drying stage located between the top and bottom walls and extending to the side walls of the housing; and extracting air form the top of the housing and for creating a subatmosphere pressure and a rotating and upward air flow in said housing having a velocity within the mesh openings at least equal to the suspension speed of particles to be dried, whereby particles to be dried will remain suspended until enough particles accumulate above the mesh means to provide sufficient weight or downward pressure for the particles to overcome the upward air flow, pass through the opening sin the mesh means and fall to the bottom of said housing.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method for drying materials according to claim 21, further including the step of heating said air prior to introduction of said air into said housing.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method for drying materials according to claim 21, further including the step of introducing air into the top of said housing above the drying stage to inject dry air in the upper portion of the chamber.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method for drying materials according to claim 21, further including the step of removing said dried materials from the bottom of said housing.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method for drying materials according to claim 21, wherein the materials are seeds or grains.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method for drying materials according to claim 21, further including the step of providing a plurality of drying stages vertically spaced from each other.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-09-13 | 1997-03-15 | 1997-09-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-09-13 | 2001-03-15 | 2001-09-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-09-13 | 2005-03-15 | 2005-09-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |