Abstract:
A mobile apparatus for treatment and disposal of fireworks which includes a conveyor belt, chopper, chute, burn chamber and a heavy-gauge screen cover, the conveyor belt delivering fireworks to be disposed of to the chopper where the fireworks are shredded, the shredded fireworks being fed through the chute into a burn chamber where the shredded fireworks are burned, the heavy-gauge screen cover covering the burn chamber to minimize the release of solid particles into the surrounding environment while also allowing steam, smoke and pressurized air to escape.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/981,289, filed Oct. 19, 2007, entitled “Fireworks Treatment and Disposal Unit” (Attorney Docket No. MPAS-01000USO), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for the treatment and/or disposal of fireworks. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Each year millions of people in the United States enjoy fireworks in the form of consumer fireworks and display/professional fireworks. While watching or setting off fireworks can be enjoyable, fireworks can also present substantial safety concerns to the public, not only in their use but also in their disposal. Each year massive qualities of fireworks that are illegal in the jurisdictions where they are possessed are seized by law enforcement agencies and must be properly disposed of in compliance with applicable environmental and explosive safety laws and regulations. Because no mobile fireworks treatment units currently exist, these fireworks must be transported to central storage locations, which can be dangerous given the unpredictable nature of the material being handled. Both the firework items and the treatment residuals from the fireworks (ash and debris) may contain hazardous by-products which can contaminate the soil as well as groundwater and any nearby water supplies. Consequently, numerous state and federal agencies strictly regulate the handling, storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal of firework wastes. 
         [0004]    Historically, fireworks were disposed of through open burning of fireworks on the ground, and many law enforcement agencies still engage in this practice today. In this regard, the fireworks are simply piled on the ground, ignited and allowed to burn until they are consumed to ash. Typically, the residual ash is then shovelled into containers and placed in a land disposal unit such as a landfill. However, with increasingly stricter state and federal environmental laws and regulations being passed each year, there is a need for a safer and more environmentally friendly approach to firework disposal. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the invention. In the drawings: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  illustrates a top perspective view of an embodiment of the firework treatment unit, according to the present invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the firework treatment unit. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  illustrates a top perspective view of the chute in an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  illustrates a top perspective view of the chopper in an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  illustrates a front perspective view of the trailer in an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  illustrates a back perspective view of the trailer in an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  illustrates a control panel in an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Embodiments are described herein in the context of a fireworks treatment unit. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following detailed description is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Reference will now be made in detail to implementations of embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference indicators will be used throughout the drawings and the following detailed description to refer to the same or like parts. 
         [0014]      FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate an embodiment of the fireworks treatment unit. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the fireworks treatment unit, generally numbered  100 , includes a conveyor  102 , a chopper  104 , a chopper housing  106 , a chute  108 , a chute door  110 , a burn chamber  112 , a heavy-gauge screen cover  114 , a base  116 , base supports  118  and a motor  200  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). As shown in  FIG. 1 , fireworks  120  can be placed on the conveyor  102  which is configured to move in the direction of the chopper  104 . The floor of the conveyor  102  including an endless belt  122 . In an embodiment, the belt  122  is meshed and made of steel. The conveyor  102  delivers the fireworks  120  to the chopper housing  106 . The chopper  104 , which is rotatably engaged to the interior of the chopper housing  106 , rotates about its central longitudinal axis and serves to shred the fireworks  120 . The chopper  104  is driven by a motor  200  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) which is externally attached to the chopper housing  106 . The shredding process renders most fireworks  120  inoperable and disperses the majority of their energy by breaking apart the fireworks  120  and dispersing the pyrotechnic composition. This increases the safety of the disposal process. Shredding the fireworks  120  also increases the exposed surface area of the fireworks  120 , thereby allowing the fireworks  120  to burn more efficiently and completely. The shredded fireworks  120  are then forced down a chute  108  and into a burn chamber  112  where they are burned. The treatment unit  100  can be supported by a base  116  and elevated using base supports  118 . This allows the shredded fireworks  120  to drop down into the burn chamber  112  above the area where the fireworks  120  will be burned. The shredded fireworks  120  in the burn chamber  112  can either be self-ignited or ignited with the use of a specially designed pyrotechnic ignition device. In an embodiment, the burn chamber  112  is water-jacketed between an inner wall and an outer wall, wherein water is circulated between an inner wall and an outer wall to protect the burn chamber  112  from the extremely high heat of pyrotechnic combustion. The heavy-gauge screen  114  covers the top of the burn chamber  112  which minimizes the release of solid particles into the surrounding environment while allowing steam, smoke and any pressurized air and/or gases to escape. Once burned, the inert residuals generated from the disposal process can be wetted down and pumped into drums for appropriate disposal. 
         [0015]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the fireworks treatment unit  100  includes at least one motor  200 . In this embodiment, the motor  200  can be externally attached to the chopper housing  106 . It is understood, however, that the motor  200  can be placed anywhere on the unit  100  that would be obvious to one skilled in the art. A single motor  200  can drive both the conveyor  102  and the chopper  104 . In another embodiment, two separate motors are used to drive the conveyer  102  and the chopper  104  individually.  FIG. 2  also illustrates the chopper  104  having a chopper shaft  202  and chopper blades  204 . 
         [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment of the chute  108  and the chute door  110 . The chute  108  includes a chute door  110  to allow for service and maintenance of the chopper. The chute door  110  also allows the operator to clear any jams that may occur during operation of the unit. In an embodiment, the chute  108  may have multiple doors or access points. 
         [0017]      FIG. 4  illustrates an embodiment of the chopper  104 . The chopper  104  includes a chopper shaft  202  and a multiplicity of chopper blades  204 . In an embodiment, the chopper shaft  202  is rotated by a motor  200  (show in  FIG. 2 ) about a longitudinal axis central to the chopper shaft  202 . The chopper blades  204  are fixedly attached to the chopper shaft  202 . Consequently, as the chopper shaft  202  rotates, the chopper blades  204  also rotate about the chopper shaft&#39;s  202  longitudinal axis. In an embodiment, the chopper blades  204  are hingedly attached to the chopper shaft  202  to allow the blades to swing back upon striking a particularly dense object, which helps prevent the chopper  104  from becoming jammed. 
         [0018]    In an embodiment, the fireworks treatment unit  100  and its individual elements can be made of steel. However, the unit  100 , or any individual aspect of the unit  100  can be made of any material that would be obvious to one skilled in the art. In an embodiment, the rotation of the chopper  104  and/or the conveyor  102  can be accomplished by using any device for rotating including, but not limited to, motors, springs, servos, chain drives, pulleys, torsion bars, and any combination thereof. 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , the entire fireworks treatment unit  100  may be contained within a mobile trailer, generally numbered  500 . For safety of operators, the unit  100  can be enclosed within steel walls  502 . This embodiment of the mobile trailer  500  includes a trailer hitch  504 , a trailer base  506  and wheels  508  to allow the trailer  100  to be transported by a truck.  FIG. 6  further illustrates the mobile trailer  500 , illustrating how the conveyor  102  for the fireworks treatment unit  100  can be incorporated into the mobile trailer  500 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 7  illustrates an embodiment of the control panel for the fireworks treatment unit  100  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) which includes a pyrotechnic ignition device (not shown). The control panel, generally numbered  700 , includes a conveyor “on” switch  702 , a conveyor “off” switch  704 , a chopper “on” switch  706 , a chopper “off” switch  708 , an emergency stop button  710 , an ignitor key switch  712 , ignitor lights  714  and ignitor switches  716 . The conveyor “on” switch  702  and the conveyor “off” switch  704  start and stop the conveyor  102 . The chopper “on” switch  706  and the chopper “off” switch  708  start and stop the chopper  104  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). The ignitor key switch  712  turns on a pyrotechnic ignition device (not shown) within the burn chamber  112  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) to arm, test and fire the pyrotechnic ignition device. Once the pyrotechnic ignition device is armed, tested and fired, the ignitor lights  714  will light and an alarm will sound. The ignitor switch  116  can then be switched to “on” to ignite the fireworks within the burn chamber  112  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). The emergency stop button  710  stops the conveyor  102 , the chopper  104  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) and disables the pyrotechnic ignition device. It is understood that the control panel  700  may be configured in any manner that would be obvious to one skilled in the art and still fall within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0021]    While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, that many more modifications than mentioned above are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein.