Patent ID: 9359765
Filing Date: 2016-06-07
CPC Classification: B05D,E04D

Claim Text:
1. A shingle manufacturing system comprising: a conveyor for moving an asphalt coated strip in a downstream direction at a predetermined rate; a hopper disposed above the conveyor and defining an interior volume for receiving and containing a store of granules to be dispensed onto the moving asphalt coated strip below, the hopper having a lower end portion; a wheel having a periphery and being mounted at the lower end portion of the hopper for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis of rotation; at least one depressed pocket and at least one raised land formed in the periphery of the wheel, the at least one pocket having a length around the periphery of the wheel and being defined between ends of the at least one raised land; a seal located at the lower end portion of the hopper below the axis of rotation of the wheel and extending toward the wheel, the seal being configured to engage against the at least one raised land of the wheel as the at least one raised land moves past the seal and to ride across the at least one pocket of the wheel as the at least one pocket moves past the seal; the seal having a thickness that is less than the length of the at least one pocket; the store of granules extending downwardly below the axis of rotation of the wheel and being at least partially contained at a lower extent by the seal; the wheel being positioned such that rotation of the wheel causes the at least one depressed pocket to move repeatedly through a first position exposed to the store of granules; a second position wherein a leading portion of the at least one depressed pocket is exposed to and spaced from the asphalt coated strip below the hopper while a trailing portion of the at least one depressed pocket remains exposed to the store of granules; and a third position past the seal; and a motor operatively coupled to the wheel for rotating the wheel according to predetermined criteria; the at least one depressed pocket collecting granules when in the first position, carrying the collected granules progressively past the seal when moving from the first position to the second position to level the granules in the depressed pocket and begin to drop the granules onto the moving asphalt coated strip as the pocket moves past the seal, and dropping all of the collected granules onto the asphalt coated strip below when moving past the seal to the third position.