Industrial hopper with support

An industrial hopper and support system includes a hopper having a plurality of receivers complementally configured to receive the top ends of legs of a support. The hopper is particularly designed to receive and discharge both solid and liquid material by the mounting of a selected valve, and the receivers include recesses therein which inhibit the spread of the legs and provide a structural connection between the legs of the support when the hopper is mounted thereon. The hopper may be mounted to the legs without the use of tools, but a separate fastener may be used when it is desired to lift both the hopper and its support from above. The support is provided with openings through primary tubular members which align with crossmembers so that forks inserted into the openings pass longitudinally through the crossmembers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is concerned with an industrial bin or hopper which is designed to be rotationally molded and used in combination with a complementally configured stand. Further, the stand is rotationally molded into an economical support which includes efficient use of tubular members to provide a forklift receiver.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Industrial tanks and supports are well known in the art, including those which are rotationally molded. Examples of such prior art tanks and supports include those shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,594 and Publication No. US-2005-0029425, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,603, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. These prior art tanks and their supports have a plurality of upright legs with a base extending thereacross so that the bottom of the tank is supported on the base between the legs. Such combinations are useful for holding a variety of industrial liquids and may permit the stacking of combined tanks and supports in a vertical arrangement. The bases may include openings whereby forks of a forklift may be inserted into openings in the base to lift and transport the support and the tank.

However, a different problem is presented when it is necessary to store and dispense solid materials such as powders, granular or pelletized material. Instead of a tank which can have an essentially flat bottom, holding and dispensing such solid materials requires a bin with a fairly aggressive slope (e.g., 45° to 60° from the horizontal) so that the solids will readily flow into a relatively large opening, as contrasted with the relatively small opening through which liquids may flow.

In addition, it has been found that a more secure connection between the support and the bin is desirable. Furthermore, it has been learned that an improved support providing greater stability when carried by a forklift is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects are met by the industrial hopper and support of the present invention. That is to say, the present invention provides a significant improvement over the prior art by providing a bin which is complementally configured with the support so that the bin is carried by the legs of the support, rather than on a base extending between the supports. In this manner, not only is an aggressive slope for the sides of the bin permitted, but the weight of the bin and its contents are carried by essentially vertical and upright walls of the bin and the legs of the support. In addition, the support is efficiently configured to provide a stable receiver for the forks of a forklift, with an economy of materials and wherein the support provides for a wide opening area at the bottom of the hopper.

Broadly speaking, the present invention includes a hopper having an upright sidewall in an upper holding zone and a sloping sidewall in a dispensing zone leading to a wide opening for mounting a valve thereon, in combination with a complementally configured support having a plurality of spaced, substantially vertical legs for receiving the hopper thereon and tubular members for structurally connecting the legs. The hopper and the support are manufactured substantially by rotational molding which enables the use of synthetic resin materials which are both economical and resistant to corrosion. The tubular members are arranged so that openings in primary members align with the cavities in at least two crossmembers to receive the forks of a forklift into the openings to provide a lifting surface on the top interior surfaces of the crossmembers. The legs are molded into and extend vertically from at least two of the tubular members so that the legs are held proximate their lower ends.

As noted above, the hopper and its support are complementally configured, and preferably the hopper includes receivers molded into its sidewalls which receive and fit with the top ends of each of the legs. The receivers are most preferably spaced around the sidewall in equidistant arrangement, and located where the upright sidewall transitions to the sloping sidewall. The receivers and top ends of the legs include interfitting recesses and lugs, such that once the lugs are received in the recesses, the legs are prevented from spreading at their top end. By this configuration, the weight of the hopper and its contents is transferred vertically, in compression, to the legs, and the structure of the receivers and the adjacent sidewalls provide structural support to resist transverse spreading of the legs which could otherwise result in slipping of the hopper off of the support. Beneficially, however, the hopper may be readily separated from the support for dumping operations or the like by lifting the hopper by a crane off of the support. The particular configuration of the top surface of the legs and the recesses of the hopper is particularly advantageous because it facilitates the flow of the solid materials within the hopper while at the same time does not require any additional fasteners to maintain the hopper on the support. However, the present invention also advantageously includes coupling structure, for example an ear provided with a hole, whereby a bolt or other fastener may be used so that the support is lifted along with the hopper, when desired. In preferred embodiments, the bin portion of the hopper sidewall may be substantially rectangular in plan, with the corners having an arcuate configuration which aligns with the outboard portion of the upright legs to present a substantially continuous vertical outer surface extending along the legs up and along the sidewall of the hopper at the corners to improve the structural strength of the combination.

The support permits the hopper to be supported directly on the legs, leaving a wide open area at the bottom of the support so that the opening of the hopper, and a valves coupled thereto, may be received in the opening. Thus, instead of a base in the form of planar or other surface extending substantially across the opening, the tubular members surround the open area. The tubular members link the legs together at their bottom end, with preferably four legs being provided. In this arrangement, two of the tubular members are primary members which are preferably centered on the upright legs, and two of the crossmembers extend between the primary members and are integrally formed therewith, and are spaced apart corresponding to the standard distance of the forks of a forklift or pallet-jack. Most preferably, the dimensions of the openings in the primary members are sized somewhat smaller than the cross-sectional internal dimensions of the crossmembers, but having the top margin of the openings aligned with the top interior surface, so that the openings in the primary members act as a visual guide to facilitate entry of the forks into the crossmembers. The top interior surface of each of the crossmembers is preferably flat to thereby permit the normally flat upper surface of the forks to rest thereagainst, thereby minimizing stress concentrations and providing a greater surface area to be supported by the fork.

As a result, a very enconomical, stable and easy-to-use hopper and support is provided. These and other advantages will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art with reference to the description and drawings which follow.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawing, an industrial hopper and support system10broadly includes a hopper12adapted for receiving material therein and discharging material therefrom, and a support14positioned beneath said hopper12for elevating the hopper12above a supporting surface. The hopper12hereof is especially configured for receiving and dispensing solids (i.e., particulates, dust, pellets, granular materials, and the like) although it may also be used for retaining and dispensing liquids. The hopper12and support14are cooperatively configured so that the support14may receive and retain the hopper12thereon, leaving a wide area for access to receive the hopper12discharge. To this end, the support14includes a multiplicity of upright support legs16and a connector18for maintaining the legs16in position whereby the hopper12may be supported atop the legs16and beneficially act structurally to retain the legs16against spreading due to the weight of the hopper12and its contents.

In greater detail, the hopper12preferably includes a top wall20and a sidewall22defining a dispensing portion24and, most preferably, a bin portion26above the dispensing portion24. The bin portion26and dispensing portion24need not be internally divided and the volume contained therein may be continuous, the terms “bin portion” and “dispensing portion” being used for convenience to indicate that the upper bin portion24primarily retains the material while the dispensing portion24leads to a discharge opening28which may be dimensioned according to the character of the material to be held and discharged therefrom. For example, to avoid binding of the larger pellets, a larger discharge opening may be desired. As may be seen inFIG. 3, the discharge opening28is provided with a flange30which facilitates mounting of a valve32for controlling the dispensing of the contents of the hopper12. A variety of different valves32may thus be attached depending on the material held within the hopper, for example butterfly valves, sanitary butterfly valves, iris valves, slide gate valves, or a variety of other valves for controlling the dispensing of liquid or solids.

The sidewall22may be of a variety of different configurations, such that the portion of the sidewall22defining the bin portion26may be cylindrical or other shapes, and the portion of the sidewall22defining the dispensing portion24has a sloping sidewall34which may be configured as an inverted frustoconical shape. More preferably, the portion of the sidewall22defining the bin portion26is generally polygonal in plan, such as a substantially rectangular shape, having four panels36connected by arcuate corners38when viewed in plan. The panels36are generally flat or slightly arcuate. The arcuate corners38help to avoid stress concentrations and most preferably have a radius of at least 2 inches and more preferably about 4 inches. The sloping sidewall34portion of the sidewall22defining the dispensing portion24is preferably in the shape of an inverted tetrahedron including four downwardly and inwardly sloping triangular walls40connected by downwardly tapering connecting ridges42which are generally aligned in a radially oriented plane with the arcuate corners38. As used herein, the term “radial” is intended to mean a direction extending between the center of the hopper or the support and outwardly therefrom when viewed in plan, notwithstanding that the hopper or the support is not circular when viewed in plan. The triangular walls40and the ridges42lead downwardly and inwardly from the portion of the sidewall22defining the bin portion26to a collar44surrounding and defining the discharge opening28.

At least one, and preferably a plurality of receivers46are formed in the sidewall22at spaced locations therearound to receive portions of the upright legs16therein. The receivers46are preferably evenly spaced around the sidewall22and include a recess48extending inwardly into the hopper12. The receivers46are most preferably positioned as shown inFIGS. 2 and 4, extending upwardly from the sloping sidewall of the dispensing portion24at the ridges42where the ridges42connect with the arcuate corners38and thus preferably at a location near or at the junction of the bin portion26and the dispensing portion24. The recesses48each comprise a plurality of surfaces which extend downwardly as shown inFIG. 4to facilitate the flow of material from the hopper12through the discharge opening28. These surfaces include opposing side surfaces50and52with a saddle53extending therebetween to present a relatively wide notch54between the opposing side surfaces, a riser56extending generally downwardly from the notch54, a shelf58which is downwardly sloping and extends inwardly from the riser56. The spacing between the side surfaces50and52narrows along a portion of the shelf58to present a waist60which is relatively narrow compared to the notch56. Inboard and downwardly from the waist60, the distance between the side surfaces50and52increases such that the shelf58widens and then converge at an inboard tip62so that the shelf58assumes the shape of a shoe sole. The inboard tip62extends downwardly to join with the respective ridge42. The riser56preferably has a hole64extending partway, but preferably not fully through the riser, to receive an internally threaded receptacle66. The receptacle66is most preferably flat sided, such as hex shape, to resist turning in the hole,64, and made of brass or other material relatively resistant to corrosion.

The top wall20preferably includes a fill opening centrally positioned thereon, and which has a threaded fillneck to receive a removably mounted closure cap68thereon. A plurality of lifting lugs70having holes72for receiving lifting hooks, cables, slings or forklift bracket attachments therethrough for lifting of the hopper12, and are spaced around the top wall20proximate the side wall22. The lifting lugs70are preferably fabricated of steel, and most preferably stainless steel, and are molded into the top wall20during rotational molding of the hopper of preferably translucent polyethylene or other suitable synthetic resin material.

The support14is also rotationally molded of polyethylene or other suitable synthetic resin material whereby the upright support legs16and the connector18is formed as an integrally formed, unitary member. The legs16extend above and below their connection to the connector18whereby the connector18is preferably elevated above a supporting surface. A multiplicity of legs16are provided in spaced relationship to one another, each including a top end74and a bottom end76. The bottom end76is configured for resting on a supporting surface and includes a radially oriented slot78therein. The legs16are tubular and hollow, and preferably circular in cross section. The top end74of each leg16is sloped downwardly and radially inwardly, and includes a lug80and a cradle82. The lug80is formed in the shape of an inverted shoe, having a radially outward heel portion83, a sole portion84which is rounded and expands outwardly, then narrows to a toe86, with the lug80having a margin87which extends upwardly from the cradle82. A shank portion88is positioned between the heel83and the sole84, and relatively narrower than both the widest part of the heel83and the widest part of the sole84. The heel82includes an upwardly projecting ear89which includes a radially extending channel90therethrough. The radially outboard exterior surface92of the lug80is rounded and arcuate with a radius which substantially conforms to the arcuate corner38. The cradle82is positioned on each side and inwardly of the lug80and slopes radially inwardly and downwardly, thereby being configured for receiving the sloping sidewall34and particularly the ridges42and walls40of the dispensing portion24of the hopper12thereon. The cradle82includes first shoulder surface94and second shoulder surface96, the shoulder surfaces94and96being generally convergent toward one another across a radially extending line therebetween. The shoulder surfaces94and96are complementally configured to the shape of adjacent walls40of the hopper12so as to support the hopper thereon. Thus, the first and second shoulder surfaces94and96are generally inclined downwardly in a radial direction from outboard to inboard and also convergent in that they are inclined toward one another across and inclined toward a radially extending line passing therebetween. The cradle82also includes an arcuate seat98positioned between the shoulders94and96which slopes downwardly and inwardly, the seat98having the arcuate configuration to mate with and receive the ridge42of the hopper12thereon.

The connector18is generally horizontally oriented and includes a multiplicity of tubular members100which connect respective legs and present a large open area102therebetween for receiving the valve32of the hopper12as shown inFIG. 3. The tubular members100preferably include a pair of elongated, spaced-apart, tubular primary members104oriented parallel to one another, and a pair of elongated, spaced-apart tubular crossmembers106oriented parallel to one another and perpendicular to the primary members104. The primary members104each include openings108and110therein which are spaced apart at a distance to receive the forks112of a forklift or pallet jack therein, e.g. about 19 inches apart. The fork entry openings108and110are of a sufficient size to facilitate entry by the forks, without being too great so as to permit substantial shifting or weakening of the primary members. Thus, a preferred size of the fork openings108and110is about 3.5 inches high by 7 inches wide. The fork entry openings108and110are aligned with the crossmembers106so that a fork112enters through a respective one of the openings108and110and is received within one of the crossmembers106, and may pass out through one of the fork entry openings in the opposite primary member104, as shown inFIG. 2. As may be seen inFIGS. 1 and 2, the crossmembers106may have a variety of different cross sectional configurations but most preferably have a relatively flat top interior surface114which is positioned along the uppermost portion of the crossmembers so as to receive thereagainst a part of the corresponding flat upper edge116of the fork112. Similarly, the openings108and110are aligned so that their top margin118is substantially coplanar with the flat top interior surface114of the crossmember, as shown inFIG. 3. The primary members104are connected to the upright legs16so as to be substantially centered thereon and provide good support, but contrary to what would be expected, the crossmembers106are not similarly centered on the upright legs16, but rather only about half of each crossmember106is in contact with the two upright legs16, the other approximately half of the crossmember106being in contact with the two primary members104. This also permits the fork entry openings108and110to be substantially centered on a vertical line running along a tangent to the outside of a respective leg16, as seen inFIG. 3, to thereby provide additional structural support both in a dispensing mode and when lifted by a forklift or pallet jack.

As noted above, the hopper12and the support14are separately formed by rotational molding of polyethylene with the lifting lugs70included in the mold during molding. The selected valve32is attached and the hopper12lowered onto the support16whereby the system10is ready for use. The hopper12is lowered onto the support16whereby the top ends74of each leg are received within a complementally configured receiver46which includes the lug80being received into recess48formed in the sidewall22. Advantageously, the ear84fits into notch54, the shank88fits into the waist60between the side surfaces50and52and the sole84is received on the shelf58between the side surfaces50and52. The weight of the hopper12and its material contents is also borne by the cradle82in addition to the lug80, the configuration of the lug and cradle also resisting movement of the leg in a direction transverse to the radial. Movement of the hopper12inwardly relative to the top ends74(and also outward spreading of the top ends74) is resisted both by the tubular members of the connector18but also by the complemental configuration of the top ends74and the receivers46. The relatively narrow waist portion60engages both the sole84and the heel82to resist radial movement of the top end of the legs16relative to the hopper12. The hopper12thus provides structural support and stability to maintain the legs16in an upright orientation to maximize their load-supporting capability. Moreover, the outboard outer surface of the legs16is substantially vertically aligned with the bin portion26of the sidewall22, and especially the arcuate corners38, to further enhance structural integrity both vertically and horizontally as a result of the interlocking relationship of the lug80with the recess of the receiver in each leg16. This is accomplished without the need for additional mechanical fasteners, although bolts120or other mechanical fasteners may be used to prevent vertical separation of the hopper12from the support14during, for example, lifting of the entire system10by a crane by attachment to the lifting lugs. Because the receivers are continuously inclined toward the discharge opening, the flow of the material contents of the hopper12are not trapped or retained in the receivers. The cradle82at the sides and inwardly of the lug80is also inclined, and presents a wider load distribution surface for receiving the discharge portion24of the hopper thereon. The ears of the lug80also are configured to mate with and conform to the outer surface of the sidewall22to not only receive a fastener but to provide vertical vertical alignment with the sidewall22. In addition, the wide open area provided in the support between the tubular members readily accommodates the large discharge opening28and the valve32at the lower end of the hopper12. The support14is advantageously configured to economize material while providing an excellent design for receiving a forklift for transport of the system10.

As a result, a substantial improvement in industrial hopper and support systems is provided by the present invention.

Although preferred forms of the invention have been described above, it is to be recognized that such disclosure is by way of illustration only, and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The inventor hereby states his intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of his invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.