Patent ID: 9731915
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: B60P,B65G,B67D

Claim:
1. A loading arm that transfers flowing bulk material from a storage vessel and into a container through a top hatch of the transport tank that is carried on a truck or rail car for transport, comprising: a. an articulating arm including a plurality of connected hollow pipes, at least two of the hollow pipes connected pivotally together; b. a hatch plate connected to the arm and defining a top member, a bottom member, a continuous retention ring and an outer edge connecting the top and bottom members; c. one of the hollow pipes of the articulating arm defining a discharge pipe defining at one end thereof an outlet opening configured to permit the flowing bulk material to be discharged from the articulating arm, the outlet opening being disposed on the side of the bottom member that faces away from the top member; and d. wherein at least the bottom member of the hatch plate defines a resiliently flexible section configured to deform upon engaging with the top hatch of the transport tank and the resiliently flexible section of the bottom member of the hatch plate is defined by an annular member having an inner perimeter portion and an outer perimeter portion spaced away from the inner perimeter portion by a central portion and wherein the hatch plate includes a rigid inner spacer element that is disposed between the top member of the hatch plate and the inner perimeter portion of the resiliently flexible section of the bottom member, the inner perimeter portion of the resiliently flexible section of the bottom member being held between the retention ring and the rigid inner spacer element.