Modular distributor system for bulk material

Claim 2

A vibratory conveyor module having upstream and downstream ends and a tray with a material-carrying surface for conveying material from the upstream toward the downstream end thereof and including gate means for delivering material from said tray to a corresponding use point, said gate means including: means defining a passage in said material-carrying surface for delivery of material, said passage having a downstream peripheral edge; a closure member selectively movable into and out of closing relationship with said passage for blocking the delivery of material through said passage, said closure member having a leading edge engageable with said downstream peripheral edge of said passage and an upper material-carrying surface when in said closing relationship; and cooperative means on said leading edge of said closure member and on said downstream peripheral edge of said passage for guiding said closure member relative to the tray during such engagement of said leading edge with said peripheral edge to achieve an obstruction free flow path between the adjacent portions of the material-carrying surfaces of said tray and said closure member.

Claim 3

A module as in claim 1 wherein said cooperative means includes a beveled edge surface on said closure member and a correspondingly angled downturned lip at the downstream peripheral edge of said passage.

Claim 4

A module as in claim 2 wherein said lip has a curved configuration at the junction thereof with the material-carrying surface of said tray.

Claim 5

A module as in claim 1 further including: a frame mounting the tray, said closure member and said cooperative means; a pair of guide blocks secured to said closure member at its opposite sides and slidably engaged with said frame for supporting said closure member on the underside of the tray for longitudinal sliding movement into and out of said closing relationship; and mounting means on said frame and engageable with said blocks for guiding movement of said closure member and retaining it in assembly with said frame.

Claim 6

A module as in claim 4 wherein said blocks are formed of material different than that forming said closure member and having a relatively low coefficient of friction, and wherein said closure member is supported in close working relationship with but at a working clearance from the surfaces of adjacent portions of said frame.

Claim 7

A module as in claim 4 including spring means associated with said mounting means for yieldably urging said blocks into engagement with said frame.

Claim 8

A module as in claim 4 wherein said mounting means include longitudinally extending rods of substantially uniform cross section engageable in correspondingly shaped recesses in said blocks.

Claim 9

A distributor system for conveying material from a source downstream to a number of successive use points comprising: conveyor means having a plurality of successive and independently operable conveyor sections for conveying the material to each use point; gate means including an opening between adjacent conveyor sections and a closure normally closing each opening, said gate means being associated, one each, with said conveyor section, for transmitting material to each use point; wherein said conveyor section comprises an elongated tray connected at its upstream end to its associated gate means; a main frame and mounting means for independently and resiliently mounting each of the assemblies of said trays and associated gates on said frame for vibration relative thereto; power operated means including a plurality of actuators associated, one each, with said conveyor sections for independently operating each conveyor section to cause material to move downstream along such conveyor section; and sensor means associated with each gate for monitoring the quantity of material at a location corresponding to the location of such gate for controlling the actuator associated with the adjacent upstream conveyor section to caUse material to so move therealong toward such gate.

Claim 10

A distributor system for conveying material from a source downstream to a number of successive use points comprising: conveyor means having a plurality of successive and independently operable conveyor sections for conveying the material to each use point; gate means including an opening between adjacent conveyor sections and a closure normally closing each opening, said gate means being associated, one each, with said conveyor section, for transmitting material to each use point; wherein said conveyor section comprises an elongated tray connected at its upstream end to its associated gate means; a main frame and mounting means for independently and resiliently mounting each of the assemblies of said trays and associated gates on said frame for vibration relative thereto; power operated means including a plurality of actuators associated, one each, with said conveyor sections for independently operating each conveyor section to cause material to move downstream along such conveyor section; and sensor means associated with each gate for monitoring the quantity of material at a location corresponding to the location of such gate for controlling the actuator associated with the adjacent upstream conveyor section to caUse material to so move therealong toward such gate.

Claim 11

A distributor system for conveying material from a source downstream to a number of successive use points comprising: an elongated main frame having upstream and downstream ends; a plurality of vibratory modules independently and movably mounted on said main frame in succession from the upstream toward the downstream end thereof; each of said modules including a tray, an associated opening providing a passage for delivery of material from such module to a corresponding use point, and a closure arranged in operative relationship with the opening to provide a continuous flow path for the distribution of material through successive modules, wherein each of said modules has its associated opening at the upstream end thereof; further including means on each of said modules at the upstream ends thereof adjacent said opening cooperating with said tray to form a storage well over said openings; and power-operated means for vibrating said modules independently of one another to feed material independently to each of the wells.

Claim 12

A distributor system for conveying material from a source downstream to a number of successive use points comprising: an elongated main frame having upstream and downstream ends; a plurality of vibratory modules independently and movably mounted on said main frame in succession from the upstream toward the downstream end thereof; each of said modules including a tray, an associated opening providing a passage for delivery of material from such module to a corresponding use point, and a closure arranged in operative relationship with the opening to provide a continuous flow path for the distribution of material through successive modules, wherein each of said modules has its associated opening at the upstream end thereof; further including means on each of said modules at the upstream ends thereof adjacent said opening cooperating with said tray to form a storage well over said openings; and power-operated means for vibrating said modules independently of one another to feed material independently to each of the wells.

Claim 13

A distributor system for conveying material from a source downstream to a number of successive use points comprising: an elongated main frame having upstream and downstream ends; a plurality of vibratory modules independently and movably mounted on said main frame in succession from the upstream toward the downstream end thereof; each of said modules including a tray and an associated opening providing a passage for delivery of material from such module to a corresponding use point, and a closure arranged in operative relationship with the opening to provide a continuous flow path for the distribution of material through successive modules, with said modules having their downstream ends vertically spaced above the upstream ends of their respective adjacent modules; and power-operated means for vibrating said modules independently of one another to feed material independently to each of the openings.

Claim 14

A distributor system for conveying material from a source downstream to a number of successive use points comprising: an elongated main frame having upstream and downstream ends; a plurality of vibratory modules independently and movably mounted on said main frame in succession from the upstream toward the downstream end thereof; each of said modules including a tray and an associated opening providing a passage for delivery of material from such module to a corresponding use point, and a closure arranged in operative relationship with the opening to provide a continuous flow path for the distribution of material through successive modules, with said modules having their downstream ends vertically spaced above the upstream ends of their respective adjacent modules; and power-operated means for vibrating said modules independently of one another to feed material independently to each of the openings.

Claim 15

A distributor system for conveying material from a source to a plurality of use points spaced apart along a predetermined path, and comprising: conveyor means having a plurality of independently operable conveyor sections arranged in generally end-to-end relation along said path to convey material downstream along said path from the source and successively from one conveyor section to the next along said conveyor means; a plurality of gate means, one adjacent the downstream end of each of said conveyor sections, for transmitting material from said conveyor means to one of said use points, each of said gate means including an opening for delivering material from said conveyor means to the respective use point, and a closure member movable between open and closed relation with the opening, to block the passage of material to the use point when in said closed relation; power-operated means for independently operating said conveyor sections to cause material to move downstream along each conveyor section while it is operating; and sensor means adjacent each of said gate means for monitoring the quantity of material available for delivery through the opening and controlling the power-operated means to operate the adjacent upstream conveyor section to move material thereon toward the opening when said quantity is below a selected level.

Claim 16

A distributor system for conveying material from a source to a plurality of use points spaced apart along a predetermined path, and comprising: conveyor means having a plurality of independently operable conveyor sections arranged in generally end-to-end relation along said path to convey material downstream along said path from the source and successively from one conveyor section to the next along said conveyor means; a plurality of gate means, one adjacent the downstream end of each of said conveyor sections, for transmitting material from said conveyor means to one of said use points, each of said gate means including an opening for delivering material from said conveyor means to the respective use point, and a closure member movable between open and closed relation with the opening, to block the passage of material to the use point when in said closed relation; power-operated means for independently operating said conveyor sections to cause material to move downstream along each conveyor section while it is operating; and sensor means adjacent each of said gate means for monitoring the quantity of material available for delivery through the opening and controlling the power-operated means to operate the adjacent upstream conveyor section to move material thereon toward the opening when said quantity is below a selected level.

Claim 17

A distributor system as defined in claim 11, wherein each conveyor section is assembled as a unitary, modular assembly having one of said gate means thereon, and the opposite ends of said modular assembly have nesting means thereon for interfitting with the adjacent ends of two substantially similar modular assemblies, said conveyor sections being nested together in series to form said conveyor means.

Claim 18

A distributor system as defined in claim 12, wherein the gate means of each of said modular assemblies is located at the upstream end of the assembly, to receive material from the next upstream conveyor section as the latter is operated, said sensor means for each of said gate means being operatively connected to the power operated means for the next upstream conveyor.

Claim 19

A distributor system as defined in claim 12 in which said nesting means comprise a downstream end portion on each of said modular assemblies that is necked down in lateral dimension, and an upstream end portion sized to telescope around the upstream end portion of the adjacent modular assembly.

Claim 20

A distributor system as defined in claim 11, wherein each of said conveyor sections has a material-supporting surface which is inclined upwardly from the upstream end thereof toward the downstream end, the upstream end being disposed beneath an overhanging end portion of the adjacent upstream conveyor section, and a transverse bulkhead at the upstream end of the conveyor section beneath the overhanging end portion of the adjacent upstream conveyor section, one of said gate means being located on each conveyor section adjacent said transverse bulkhead to receive material temporarily stored on said conveyor section adjacent said bulkhead.

Claim 21

A distributor system as defined in claim 11, in which said conveyor sections are inclined upwardly from the upstream ends thereof toward the downstream ends thereof, and the downstream ends are disposed at levels somewhat above the next adjacent upstream ends to overhang the latter and drop material thereon, and further including means preventing the escape of material from the upstream ends beneath the overhanging downstream ends, the openings of said gate means being formed in said inclined surfaces adjacent the lower upstream ends thereof, with the closure members normally closing the openings and forming continuations of the inclined surfaces of the conveyor sections.

Claim 22

A distributor system as defined in claim 11, wherein said conveyor sections comprise an elongated tray having an opening adjacent its upstream end constituting part of one of said gate means, and further including an elongated main frame extending along said path, and means mounting said trays on said frame in end-to-end overlapping relation and for vibratory movement relative to each other and relative to said frame, said power-operated means comprising independently operable vibrators connected to the respective trays.

Claim 23

A distributor system as defined in claim 17, wherein said closure members are disposed beneath the openings in said trays, against the undersides thereof, and are slidable longitudinally of said trays to said open positions.

Claim 24

A distributor system for conveying material from a source to a plurality of use points spaced apart along a predetermined path, and comprising: a frame; a plurality of generally horizontal, end-to-end vibratory conveyor trays mounted on said frame for vibratory movement relative thereto and to each other, said trays having ends in overlapped relation with the adjacent trays and each being supported on said frame with the material-carrying surface of the tray inclined upwardly from the upstream end toward the downstream end thereof; said downstream ends overhanging the upstream ends of adjacent downstream trays, and said upstream ends having transverse walls beneath the overhanging ends for retaining material on the trays and defining material-holding wells adjacent said upstream ends; means for independently vibrating each tray and moving material thereon from the upstream end toward the downstream end for delivery to the well of the next tray downstream; each tray having an opening in the material-carrying surface thereof in the area of said well, and extending across said surface adjacent the upstream end of the tray; closure means normally closing said openings and forming continuations of said material-carrying surfaces for carrying material from said wells along said trays as the latter are vibrated; means operable, on demand, to move said closure members to open positions to admit material through tHe openings, said use points receiving material from beneath said openings; and sensor means at each well for monitoring the level of material in the well and, when the level is below a preselected level, controlling the vibrating means of the next upstream conveyor to convey material thereon to the well.

Claim 25

A distributor system for conveying material from a source to a plurality of use points spaced apart along a predetermined path, and comprising: a frame; a plurality of generally horizontal, end-to-end vibratory conveyor trays mounted on said frame for vibratory movement relative thereto and to each other, said trays having ends in overlapped relation with the adjacent trays and each being supported on said frame with the material-carrying surface of the tray inclined upwardly from the upstream end toward the downstream end thereof; said downstream ends overhanging the upstream ends of adjacent downstream trays, and said upstream ends having transverse walls beneath the overhanging ends for retaining material on the trays and defining material-holding wells adjacent said upstream ends; means for independently vibrating each tray and moving material thereon from the upstream end toward the downstream end for delivery to the well of the next tray downstream; each tray having an opening in the material-carrying surface thereof in the area of said well, and extending across said surface adjacent the upstream end of the tray; closure means normally closing said openings and forming continuations of said material-carrying surfaces for carrying material from said wells along said trays as the latter are vibrated; means operable, on demand, to move said closure members to open positions to admit material through tHe openings, said use points receiving material from beneath said openings; and sensor means at each well for monitoring the level of material in the well and, when the level is below a preselected level, controlling the vibrating means of the next upstream conveyor to convey material thereon to the well.