Abstract:
An integral melter and pump assembly or system, and a method of making the same, is disclosed wherein the pump assembly comprises a melter housing having a melter container defined within the melter housing. A pump mounting plate is integrally mounted within a side wall portion of the melter container and an output dispensing supply pump is mounted directly upon an external surface portion of the pump mounting plate in a surface-to-surface manner such that heat generated internally within the melter container is effectively transferred by conduction from the melter container and through the pump mounting plate such that the temperature level of the output pump is elevated to, and maintained at, a predeterminedly desired level even when the pump, is not disposed in its output dispensing mode. In addition, since the output dispensing or material supply pump is disposed externally of the melter container and the melter housing, the output dispensing or material supply pump is easily and readily accessible in case maintenance becomes necessary. Optionally, an oil jacket or chamber can surround the melter container so as to more evenly or consistently provide heating of the melter container.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to apparatus for dispensing heated adhesives or similar materials, and more particularly to a new improved integral melter and pump system for dispensing or applying heated bituminous adhesives and/or highway crack-sealing materials to roadway surfaces. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Apparatus for melting adhesives or crack-sealing materials within a propane, electric, or diesel powered melter, and for applying such adhesives or materials to roadway surfaces, are well known in the art. Exemplary patents disclosing such apparatus or systems comprise U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,016 which issued to Bien on Dec. 16, 2003, U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,826 which issued to Mertes on Aug. 29, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,658 which issued to Schave et al. on Apr. 11, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,227 which issued to Schave on Oct. 26, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,375 which issued to Barnes on Oct. 19, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,178 which issued to Schave on Nov. 3, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,908 which issued to Montgomery et al. on Dec. 19, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,741 which issued to Downing on Dec. 19, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,073 which issued to Howseman, Jr. et al. on Aug. 22, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,028 which issued to Schave on Sep. 8, 1987, U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,645 which issued to Hale on Nov. 4, 1986, U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,877 which issued to Jacobson et al. on Jul. 3, 1979, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,527 which issued to Von Roeschlaub on Oct. 15, 1974. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,826 issued to Mertes on Aug. 29, 2000, is one example of a prior art melter and applicator system which was apparently state-of-the-art at the time that such patent issued in connection with the application of materials to be dispensed in connection with road paving or sealing operations, however, as can be appreciated from  FIG. 1  of the application drawings, which corresponds to  FIG. 1  of the noted patent, the system of Mertes embodies some fundamental operational problems. In accordance with the system of Mertes, a bin  26  is disclosed for containing the particular materials to be melted. More particularly, the bin  26  is provided with an access cover  28  so as to permit solidified paving materials, such as, for example, asphalt bricks to be loaded into the bin  26 . An agitator  52  is rotatably disposed within the bottom portion of the bin  26  so as to constantly mix the heated and melted paving materials when heat is applied to the bin  26  so as to in fact heat and melt the paving materials disposed therewithin. Surrounding the bin  26  is a heating chamber  38  which is adapted to be heated by means of a heating system  30  which includes one or more burners  32  that receive fuel from a fuel supply container  34 . A chimney  40  is fluidically connected to the heating chamber  38  so as to effectively exhaust combustion byproducts from the heating chamber  38 , and it is noted that the chimney  40  is likewise fluidically connected to the upper region of the bin  26  by means of a chimney tube  42  so as to likewise exhaust any gaseous by-products effectively trapped within the upper confines of the bin  26 . In addition, a cabinet  44  is disposed adjacent to the heating system  30 . A vent  46  fluidically connects the heating chamber  38  with the interior of the cabinet  44  when the vent  46  is moved to an open position, and a recirculating pump  60  is disposed within the cabinet  44 . The pump  60  is connected to the bin  26  by means of an inflow pipe  62 . The output side of the pump  60  comprises an outlet pipe  66  which is fluidically connected to a manifold  68 . In turn, a supply line  72 , fluidically connected at one end there-of to a heated material dispensing hose  74 , is fluidically connected at a second end thereof to a first portion of the manifold  68  through means of a shutoff valve  76 , while a recirculation outflow pipe  70 , which is fluidically connected at a free end thereof to the bin  26  so as to recirculate the heated fluid back into the bin  26 , is fluidically connected at a second end thereof to a second portion of the manifold  68  through means of a differential valve  78 . When the heated material is not actually being dispensed, it is recirculated by the pump  60  back to the bin  26 . The primary operational problems with a system such as that disclosed within Mertes reside in the fact that the pump  60  is indirectly heated as a result of being located within the interior portion of the cabinet  44 , and therefore the degree or level to which the pump  60  is actually heated, in order to effectively preserve the fluidity and/or viscosity of the heated material to predeterminedly desirable values, is difficult to achieve. In addition, as has been noted hereinbefore, when the heated material is not being dispensed as a result of the pump  60  conveying the heated material to the dispensing hose  74 , the heated material is being recirculated by the pump  60  back to the bin  26 . Accordingly, the pump  60  is effectively always in operation, resulting in excessive wear of the pump components and seals. 
     With reference now being made to  FIG. 2  of the application drawings, which corresponds to FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,073 which issued to Howseman, Jr. et al. on Aug. 22, 1989, the disclosed system is another example of a prior art melter and pump assembly which was apparently also state-of-the-art at the time that such patent issued in connection with the supply of similar materials for road paving or sealing operations, however, as can be appreciated from  FIG. 2  of the application drawings which corresponds to FIG. 1 of Howseman, Jr. et al., there is disclosed a first embodiment of the system of the melter and pump assembly of Howseman, Jr. et al. which also embodies some fundamental operational problems. In accordance with this first embodiment of the system of Howseman, Jr. et al., which sought to rectify the aforenoted deficiencies of Mertes by eliminating the indirect heating of the pump, as well as eliminating the need for the recirculation of the heated material back to the melter, the material melter and pump assembly of Howseman, Jr. et al. is seen to comprise container  10  within which there is disposed a rotary agitator assembly comprising a rotary motor  18 , and a rotary tube  28  which is rotatably driven by means of the motor  18  through means of rotary gears or sprockets  22 ,  24  interconnected by means of a chain drive  26 . Agitator blades  34  are fixedly connected to the rotary tube  28 , and a piston pump  46  is axially disposed within the lower end portion of the rotary tube  28  whereby reciprocation of the piston pump  26 , relative to a pump ring  40 , drives a mixture of the heated material, disposed within the container  10 , outwardly from the container  10  and through the central or axial hole defined within the pump ring  40  and through an output dispensing conduit  49 . The piston pump  46  is secured to the lower end of a vertical shaft  44 , which is coaxially disposed within the rotary tube  28 , and the upper end of the vertical shaft  44  is operatively connected to a reciprocating pump drive piston motor  20 . 
     As has been noted hereinbefore, this first embodiment of the assembly of Howseman, Jr. et al. admittedly rectifies the aforenoted problems characteristic of the system of Mertes in that since the pump  46  is effectively disposed in a submerged state within the heated and melted material, the pump  46  will automatically be at the same temperature as the heated and melted material. In addition, there is no need for recirculating the heated or melted material when the pump is not activated for a dispensing operation because the heated or melted material within the pump will never be disposed at a lower temperature which could otherwise cause the heated or melted material to begin to solidify within the pump and cause blockage of the same. However, it is noted that the pump  46  is located within the lower portion of the melter or container  10 , and accordingly, if the pump  46  requires servicing, maintenance, or replacement, maintenance personnel must actually climb into and descend downwardly toward the bottom portion of the melter or container  10  in order to gain access to the pump  46  and/or the pump plate  40 . This entails dirty, time-consuming, and uncomfortable maintenance procedures to be undertaken. 
     With reference now being made to  FIG. 3  of the application drawings, which corresponds to FIG. 3 of the Howseman, Jr. et al. patent and which discloses a second embodiment of the Howseman, Jr. et al. assembly, the melter or container is disclosed at  54 , the pump shaft is disclosed at  50 , and the pump is disclosed at  52 . It is noted that in lieu of the pump  52  being disposed internally within the melter or container  54  as was the pump  46  of the first embodiment disclosed within  FIG. 2  of the application drawings, the pump  52  is fixedly secured to an undersurface or external wall portion of the floor member of the melter or container  54 . Therefore, the pump  52  in this embodiment is readily accessible by maintenance personnel, however, a burner, not shown, is adapted to be disposed beneath the pump such that the output of the burner impinges directly upon the pump whereby, over a period of time, the structural integrity of the pump can be compromised. It is also to be noted that the burner, not shown, is likewise disposed beneath the material output dispensing conduit  49  of the first embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  of the application drawings such that, in a similar manner, over a period of time, not only is the structural integrity of the material output dispensing conduit  49  likewise to be compromised, but in addition, the material being dispensed can effectively be overcooked or charred. 
     With reference being made to  FIGS. 4A and 4B  of the application drawings, which correspond to FIGS. 2A and 2B of U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,028 which issued to Schave on Sep. 8, 1987, this disclosed system is yet still another example of a prior art melter and pump/applicator assembly which was apparently also state-of-the-art at the time that such patent issued in connection with the supply of similar materials for road paving or sealing operations, however, as can be appreciated from  FIGS. 4A and 4B  of the application drawings which correspond to FIGS. 2A and 2A of the patent to Schave, the system of Schave likewise embodies some fundamental operational problems. In accordance with the system of Schave, a sealant melting chamber is disclosed at  18 , and a sealant agitator  34  is rotatably disposed internally of the melting chamber  18 . A hydraulic pump  26 , which is fluidically connected to a hydraulic fluid reservoir, is also fluidically connected to a two-position diverter valve  30  which can obviously attain two different positions as illustrated within  FIGS. 4A and 4B . When the diverter valve  30  is disposed at the position illustrated within  FIG. 4A , the hydraulic fluid from hydraulic pump  26 , which is fluidically connected to the hydraulic fluid reservoir, is routed through the diverter valve  30  to a hydraulic motor  38  which serves to drive a sealant pump  38  which delivers sealant material to a sealant applicator hose  42 . To the contrary, when dispensing of the sealant material is not to be accomplished, the diverter valve  30  is rotated to its other position so as to be disposed at the position illustrated within  FIG. 4B  whereby the hydraulic fluid from hydraulic pump  26  is routed through diverter valve  30  to hydraulic motor  32  which serves to rotate the sealant agitator  34 . The hydraulic fluid is then returned to the hydraulic fluid reservoir. It can therefore be readily appreciated that since both the sealant agitator  34  and the sealant pump  40  are only operated intermittently and alternatively with respect to each other, the sealant disposed within the sealant melting chamber  18  is not continuously mixed and agitated such that the same may not always comprise the desired consistency or viscosity. In a similar manner, since sealant pump  40  is also operated only intermittently or periodically when dispensing of the sealant material is to be achieved, or is not being achieved, and since the sealant pump  40  is disposed externally of the sealant melting chamber  18 , the sealant pump  40  will not always be operating at an elevated temperature level such that sealant material within the sealant pump  40  may tend to solidify and thereby clog the sealant pump  40 . Still further, it is to be noted that the only connection between the sealant pump  40  and the sealant melting chamber  18  appears to be an outlet pipe, not numbered, which fluidically connects the sealing melting chamber  18  to the sealant pump  40  such that when the sealant pump  40  is actuated by means of the hydraulic motor  38 , hot sealant material will flow through the sealant pump  40  and be discharged to the sealant applicator hose  42 . When the sealant pump  40  is inoperative, sealant material does not flow through the sealant pump  40 , and thus, the temperature level of the sealant pump  40  is not necessarily maintained at the desired elevated temperature level which is a sufficiently high temperature level in order to prevent any solidification of the sealant material within the sealant pump  40  such that clogging of the sealant pump  40  does not occur. 
     A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved integral melter and pump system, and a method of making the same, that will effectively address and resolve the aforenoted problems or drawbacks characteristic of the current state of the art and that will achieve the following overall objectives. More particularly, a need exists in the art for a new and improved integral melter and pump system, and a method of making the same, wherein the pump does not operate continuously, either in a pump output supply mode or in a pump recirculation mode, so as not to experience excessive wear, wherein the pump is disposed at a location relative to the melter or material container so as to be sufficiently and constantly/continuously heated to a predetermined temperature level without having its structural integrity compromised, and regardless of whether or not the pump is being operated in its pump output supply mode such that solidification of the material to be dispensed will not solidify and clog the pump, and wherein further, the pump is mounted upon the melter or material container so as to be readily accessible for maintenance repairs or replacement by maintenance personnel. 
     OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION 
     The overall objectives of the present invention are to overcome the drawbacks characteristic of, and encountered with current state-of-the-art melter and pump assemblies, and more particularly to have an integral melter and pump assembly or system, and a method of making the same, wherein the pump is not operated continuously either in a pump output mode or a pump recirculation mode such that the pump does not undergo excessive wear, wherein the pump is mounted at a location relative to the melter or material container such that the pump will be sufficiently and continuously heated to a predetermined temperature level without having its structural integrity compromised, and regardless of whether or not the pump is being operated in its pump output supply mode, so that the material being pumped will not solidify within the pump and therefore clog the same, and wherein the pump is mounted at a location relative to the melter or material container such that the material supply pump is readily accessible for maintenance repairs or replacement by maintenance personnel. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention through the provision of a new and improved integral melter and pump assembly or system, and a method of making the same, wherein the integral melter and pump assembly or system comprises a melter housing having a melter container defined within the melter housing. A pump mounting plate is integrally mounted within a side wall portion of the melter container and an output dispensing or material supply pump is mounted directly upon an external surface portion of the pump mounting plate in a surface-to-surface manner such that heat generated internally within the melter container is effectively transferred by conduction from the melter container and through the pump mounting plate such that the temperature level of the output dispensing or material supply pump is elevated to, and maintained at, a predeterminedly desired level even when the output dispensing or material supply pump is not disposed in its output dispensing mode with heated materials being conveyed through the output dispensing or material supply pump. In addition, since the output dispensing or material supply pump is disposed externally of the melter container and the melter housing, the output dispensing or material supply pump is easily and readily accessible in the case that service, maintenance, repairs, or replacement become necessary. In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, an oil jacket or chamber surrounds the melter container so as to more evenly or consistently provide heating of the melter container which is important when certain materials, susceptible to charring, are being melted within the melter container. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first prior art melter and pump system which corresponds to FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,826 which issued to Mertes on Aug. 29, 2000; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a second prior art melter and pump system which corresponds to FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,073 which issued to Howseman, Jr. et al. on Aug. 22, 1989; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the prior art melter and pump system which corresponds to FIG. 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,073 which issued to Howseman, Jr. et al. on Aug. 22, 1989; 
         FIG. 4A  is a schematic fluid control circuit of another prior art melter and pump system which corresponds to FIG. 2A of U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,028 which issued to Schave on Sep. 8, 1987 wherein the pump has been activated so as to be disposed at its pump output supply mode; 
         FIG. 4B  is a schematic fluid control circuit of another prior art melter and pump system which corresponds to FIG. 2B of U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,028 which issued to Schave on Sep. 8, 1987 wherein the pump has been deactivated so as not to be disposed at its pump output supply mode, and the hydraulic fluid that had been previously utilized to drive the hydraulic pump motor for driving the melted material output supply pump is now being recirculated within an enclosed hydraulic fluid circuit which serves to drive the sealant agitator; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic external perspective view of a first embodiment of a new and improved integral melter and pump system as constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic top plan view of the integral melter and pump system as shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic side elevational view of the integral melter and pump system as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the integral melter and pump system as shown in  FIG. 7  as taken along the lines  8 - 8  of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic cross-sectional view of the integral melter and pump system, similar to that shown in  FIG. 8  showing, however, the integral melter and pump system from a left-to-right angular perspective; 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic cross-sectional view of the integral melter and pump system, similar to that shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  showing, however, the integral melter and pump system from a right-to-left angular perspective; 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic cross-sectional view of the integral melter and pump system, similar to that shown in  FIG. 9  showing, however, the integral melter and pump system with some component parts removed so as to show other component parts more clearly; 
         FIG. 12  is a schematic external perspective view of a second embodiment of a new and improved integral melter and pump system as constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a schematic top plan view of the integral melter and pump system as shown in  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the integral melter and pump system as shown in  FIG. 13  as taken along the lines  14 - 14  of  FIG. 13 ; and 
         FIG. 15  is a schematic cross-sectional view of the integral melter and pump system, similar to that shown in  FIG. 14  showing, however, the integral melter and pump system from a left-to-right angular perspective. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 5-11  thereof, a first embodiment of a new and improved integral melter and pump system or assembly, constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, is disclosed and is generally indicated by the reference character  100 . The integral melter and pump assembly or system  100  is seen to comprise a melter housing  102  which effectively comprises an upstanding hollow cylinder having a circular cross-section, however, the melter housing  102  may have other cross-sectional configurations, such as, for example, a square cross-section, or even an obround cross-section, wherein an obround is well-known and defined as a geometrical configuration comprising, in effect, a flattened cylinder having two long sides disposed parallel to one another while the two opposite ends of the obround are hemispherical. As can best be appreciated from  FIGS. 8-10 , the melter housing  102  is further seen to comprise three concentric substantially annular wall members, a first innermost wall member  104 , a second intermediate wall member  106  radially spaced from said first innermost wall member  104  and surrounding the first innermost wall member  104 , and a third outermost wall member  108  radially spaced from the second intermediate wall member  106  and surrounding the second intermediate wall member  106 . The innermost wall member  104  has a floor member  110  integrally connected thereto so as to effectively define with the innermost wall member  104  an internal melter container  112  within which various materials, such as, for example, bituminous adhesives and/or other highway crack-sealing materials for application to roadway surfaces, are to be disposed whereby such materials may be melted and subsequently dispensed for application to the roadway surfaces. 
     A burner box or chamber  114  is fixedly secured to a floor member  116  of the melter housing  102 , and a burner assembly  118 , which may be, for example, a diesel burner assembly which is mounted upon a face plate  120 , is fixedly but re-movably mounted upon one side wall  122  of the burner box or chamber  114  by means of suitable bolts or fasteners  124 . The burner assembly  118  has various controls, not shown, as well as a fan, also not shown, operatively associated there-with so as to control the combustion flames of the burner assembly  118  and to cause the combustion flames of the burner assembly  118  to enter the burner box or chamber  114 . The mounting of the burner assembly  118  upon the face plate  120 , and, in turn, the removable mounting of the face plate  120  upon the one side wall  122  of the burner box or chamber  114  by means of the bolts or fasteners  124  permits the burner assembly  118  to be readily and easily dismounted from the burner box or chamber  114  for servicing, maintenance, repairs, or replacement. It can also be clearly seen and appreciated from  FIGS. 8-10  that an agitator  126  is rotatably mounted within the melter container  112 , the agitator  126  comprising a plurality of agitator blades  128  which are fixedly mounted upon a lower portion of an upstanding rotary shaft  130 . The lower end portion of the rotary shaft  130  is rotatably mounted within a bearing member  132 , while the upper end portion of the rotary shaft  130  is rotatably connected to an agitator drive motor  134  which is fixedly mounted upon an upper cover or ceiling member  136  of the melter container  112 . 
     It is also to be appreciated that the three concentric substantially annular wall members  104 ,  106 ,  108  of the melter housing  102  define two concentric substantially annular chambers therebetween, that is, a first inner substantially annular chamber  138  surrounding the melter container  112 , and a second outer substantially annular insulation chamber  140  surrounding the first inner substantially annual chamber  138 . The first inner substantially annular chamber  138  is defined between the first innermost wall member  104  and the second intermediate wall member  106 , while the second outer substantially annular chamber  140  is defined between the second intermediate wall member  106  and the third outermost wall member  108 . It is also seen that the first inner substantially annular chamber  138  is fluidically connected to the burner box or chamber  114 , and in this manner, it can readily be appreciated that the flames and heat generated by means of the burner  118 , within the burner box or chamber  114 , will be conveyed upwardly so as to effectively heat the floor member  110  of the melter container  112  as well as through the first inner substantially annular exhaust chamber  138  surrounding the melter container  112  so as to, in turn, effectively heat the first innermost annular wall member  104  of the melter container  112  by means of conduction. This heat will of course serve to melt solid bituminous or other adhesives and/or roadway materials which are charged into the melter container  112  through means of a material fill housing  142  which is fixedly mounted upon the upper cover or ceiling member  136  of the melter container  112  and which is provided with a movable fill lid, cover, or port  144 . It is also noted that, with respect to this structural portion of the melter housing  102 , the second outer substantially annular chamber  140  is adapted to be filled with an appropriate type of thermal insulation which may comprise, for example, air, a suitable ceramic material, a suitable type of wool or other fiber insulation, and the like. Lastly, while the upper end, top, or ceiling portion of the second outer substantially annular chamber  140  is closed or sealed, a plurality of vent holes  146 , as can best be seen in  FIGS. 5,6, and 11 , are provided within the upper end, top, or ceiling portion of the first inner substantially annular chamber  138  so as to permit the flames and heat from the first inner substantially annular chamber  138  to escape to atmosphere in a substantially controlled manner so as to effectively ensure that the proper temperature level is present and maintained within the first inner substantially annular chamber  138  such that, in turn, a predetermined amount of heat is transferred to the innermost wall member  104  of the melter container  112 . It is noted that the plurality of vent holes  146  are only provided within the two quadrants closest to the circumferential location where the burner  118  is located, and substantially opposite the circumferential location where the material fill housing  142  and the fill lid, cover, or port  144  are located so as to ensure the safety of operator personnel. 
     Continuing further, a unique feature characteristic of the present invention resides in the provision of a vertically extending planar pump mounting plate  148  which effectively forms a portion of the innermost wall member  104  of the melter container  112 . In fabricating the melter housing  102 , a section of the innermost wall member  104  is removed and the vertically extending planar pump mounting plate  148  is welded to residual portions of the innermost wall member  104  of the melter container  112  so as to effectively become an integral part of the innermost wall member  104  of the melter container  112  as a result of having replaced that section of the innermost wall member  104  of the melter container  112  that had been removed. A dispensing or output supply pump  150  is then mounted upon an external surface portion of the mounting plate  148  as can best be appreciated from  FIGS. 8 and 9 . In view of the fact that the dispensing or output supply pump  150  is mounted in a surface-to-surface manner directly upon the external surface of the planar pump mounting plate  148 , which is now effectively an integral part of the melter container  112 , heat from the melter container  112  is transmitted directly to the dispensing or output supply pump  150  by means of conduction through the planar pump mounting plate  148 . In this manner, the dispensing or output supply pump  150  is maintained at an elevated temperature regardless of whether the dispensing or output supply pump  150  is actually disposed in a dispensing or output supply mode, or is not in fact disposed in a dispensing or output supply mode. In addition, it is also to be appreciated that as a result of the dispensing or output supply pump  150  being mounted upon the external surface portion of the mounting plate  148 , relative to the melter container  112 , safe and easy access to the dispensing or output supply pump  150  is effectively ensured so as not to endanger service personnel when performing service, maintenance, repair, or replacement operations in connection with the dispensing or output supply pump  150 . 
     As can also be readily appreciated from  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the output or supply end of the dispensing or output supply pump  150  is provided with an output or supply port, connection, or tap  152  to which a suitable roadway material supply hose, not shown, can be connected whereby the roadway materials being dispensed can be applied to the roadway surfaces. In a similar manner, as can best be appreciated from  FIG. 11 , a inlet or intake slot  154  is defined within a lower portion of the pump mounting plate  148  so as to be fluidically connected to the intake side of the dispensing or output supply pump  150 . Still yet further, it can also be readily appreciated from  FIGS. 5,9, and 11 , that the dispensing or output supply pump  150  is disposed within a five-sided, vertically oriented enclosure  156 . The disposition of the dispensing or output supply pump  150  within the enclosure  156  not only permits the same to be mounted upon the pump mounting plate  148  so as to achieve the aforenoted desired heat exchange between the melter container  112  and the dispensing or output supply pump  150 , as well as to provide ready access to the dispensing or output supply pump  150  by maintenance personnel, but in addition, the disposition of the dispensing or output supply pump  150  within the enclosure  156 , and the relative remote location of the dispensing or output supply pump  150  from the burner  118 , effectively protects the dispensing or output supply pump  150  from the heat generated by the burner  118 . As can also best be seen from  FIGS. 5, 8, 9, and 10 , a pump drive motor  158  is fixedly mounted upon the upper wall member  160  of the enclosure  156 , and a vertically oriented pump drive shaft  162  extends downwardly from the pump drive motor  158  to the dispensing or output supply pump  150  so as to be operatively connected thereto. It is to be noted that the pump drive motor  158  can be any suitable pump drive motor, such as, for example, a hydraulic motor, an electric motor, or a pneumatic motor. Lastly, as can best be seen in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , it is noted that a drain port or conduit  164  is provided within a lower portion of the melter housing  102 , and that the conduit  164  passes through the concentric substantially annular walls  104 ,  106 ,  108  of the melter housing  102  so as to be in fluidic communication with the interior of the melter container  112 . In this manner, draining of the melter container  112  is permitted when the same is to be cleaned for periodic maintenance operations. 
     Lastly, with reference being made to  FIGS. 12-15 , a second embodiment of a new and improved integral melter and pump assembly or system is disclosed and is generally indicated by the reference character  200 . It is to be noted that for the purposes of brevity, those component parts of the second embodiment of the melter and pump assembly or system  200  that correspond to component parts of the first embodiment of the melter and pump assembly or system  100  will not be discussed in detail but will be designated by corresponding reference numbers except that they will be within the  200  series. Furthermore, the description of the second embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system  200  will be confined to the differences between the first and second embodiments of the integral melter and pump assemblies or systems  100 ,  200 . More particularly, it is seen that a first primary difference between the first embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system  100  and the second embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system  200  resides in the fact that the diesel burner  118  of the first embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system  100  has been eliminated and a propane burner  218  has effectively been installed within a burner box or chamber  214  located beneath the melter container  212 . The propane burner  218  is provided with a fuel inlet supply line  219 , and it is to be noted that the fuel inlet supply conduit  219  and the propane burner  218  may be removable from the melter housing  202  so as to permit easy cleaning and/or maintenance procedures to be performed upon the burner  218  or the fuel inlet supply line  219  as may be necessary. 
     A second primary difference between the first embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system  100  and the second embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system  200  resides in the fact that in lieu of the three concentric substantially annular wall members  104 ,  106 ,  108  comprising the melter housing  102  of the first embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system  100 , the melter housing  202  of the second embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system  200  is seen to comprise four concentric substantially annular wall members  204 ,  205 ,  206 , and  208 . More particularly, it is seen that in addition to the innermost wall member  204 , the intermediate wall member  206 , and the outermost wall member  208 , a fourth wall member  205  has effectively been interposed between the innermost wall member  204  and the intermediate wall member  206 . It is also seen that this additional wall member  205  has a floor member  211  integrally connected thereto whereby the wall member  205  and the floor member  211  effectively define an annular oil chamber  239  which is annularly disposed around the melter container  212  as well as being disposed beneath the floor member  210  of the melter container  212 . The purpose of the oil chamber  239  is to provide a more even, consistent, or uniform heat gradient throughout the melter container  212 . This is important depending upon the particular material being melted. Some materials are susceptible to being overheated and charred, thus effectively rendering them non-useable for their intended purposes. By employing the oil chamber  239 , the likelihood of such overheating or charring of the melted material within the melter container  212  is substantially reduced. In a manner similar to that of the first embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system  100 , it is seen that the additional wall member  205  and the intermediate wall member  206  together define the exhaust chamber  238  which is fluidically connected to the burner box or chamber  214 , while the intermediate wall member  206  and the outermost wall member  208  define the insulation chamber  240 . 
     Lastly, a third primary difference between the first embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system  100  and the second embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system  200  resides in the fact that in lieu of the vertically extending pump mounting plate  148  and the provision of the five-sided enclosure  156 , a smaller pump mounting plate  248  has been mounted within a side wall portion of the melter housing  202 . In view of the fact that the burner  118  is no longer disposed beneath the pump  250 , but is, instead, located beneath the melter container  212 , the five-sided enclosure  156  has been eliminated. As can also best be seen from  FIG. 14 , while the pump mounting plate  248  effectively extends radially through all four wall members  204 ,  205 ,  206 ,  208  such that the inner surface portion of the pump mounting plate  248  effectively comprises the inner peripheral wall of the melter container  212 , the thickness of the pump mounting plate  248  may be reduced such that the inner surface portion of the pump mounting plate  248  will abut an outer surface portion of the additional wall member  205  comprising the outer wall member of the oil chamber  239 , although, admittedly, this modification is not shown in the drawings. 
     Obviously, many variations and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, more than one material dispensing output supply pump may be operatively connected to the melter container such that multiple dispensing operations can be achieved at one time and/or at different dispensing or deposition locations. In addition, it is noted that the melter can be fabricated from aluminum which facilitates the manufacturing process in that the pump mounting plate can be easily cast as an integral component part of the melter container as opposed to the need for welding the same within the side wall portion of the melter container. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. 
     REFERENCE NUMBER KEY 
     
         
           100 —First embodiment of integral melter and pump assembly or system 
           102 —Melter housing 
           104 —Innermost concentric wall of melter housing 
           106 —Intermediate concentric wall of melter housing 
           108 —Outermost concentric wall of melter housing 
           110 —Floor of melter container 
           112 —Melter container 
           114 —Burner box or chamber 
           116 —Floor member of melter housing 
           118 —Burner 
           120 —Face plate upon which burner is mounted 
           122 —Side wall of burner box or chamber upon which face plate is mounted 
           124 —Bolts or fasteners 
           126 —Agitator 
           128 —Agitator blades 
           130 —Rotary agitator mounting shaft 
           132 —Bearing for agitator shaft 
           134 —Agitator drive motor 
           136 —Upper cover of melter container 
           138 —First inner annular exhaust chamber surrounding the melter container 
           140 —Second outer annular insulation chamber 
           142 —Material fill housing 
           144 —Lid, cover, or port of material fill housing 
           146 —Vent holes for first inner annular chamber surrounding the melt chamber 
           148 —Pump mounting plate of melter container 
           150 —Dispensing or output supply pump 
           152 —Material dispensing connection, port, or tap of dispensing or output pump 
           154 —Intake slot of dispensing or output supply pump 
           156 —Enclosure mounting dispensing or output supply pump upon melter container 
           158 —Pump drive motor 
           160 —Upper wall of enclosure 
           162 —Pump drive shaft 
           164 —Drain port 
           200 —Second embodiment of integral melter and pump assembly or system 
           202 —Melter housing 
           204 —Innermost concentric wall of melter housing 
           205 —Additional wall of melter housing 
           206 —Intermediate concentric wall of melter housing 
           208 —Outermost concentric wall of melter housing 
           210 —Floor of melter container 
           211 —Floor of oil chamber 
           212 —Melter container 
           214 —Burner box or chamber 
           216 —Floor member of melter housing 
           218 —Burner 
           219 —Fuel inlet supply conduit for burner 
           226 —Agitator 
           228 —Agitator blades 
           230 —Rotary agitator mounting shaft 
           232 —Bearing for agitator shaft 
           234 —Agitator drive motor 
           236 —Upper cover of melter container 
           238 —First inner annular exhaust chamber surrounding the melter container 
           239 —Annular oil chamber 
           240 —Second outer annular insulation chamber 
           242 —Material fill housing 
           244 —Lid, cover, or port of material fill housing 
           246 —Vent holes for first inner annular chamber surrounding the melt chamber 
           248 —Pump mounting plate of melter container 
           250 —Dispensing or output supply pump 
           252 —Material dispensing connection, port, or tap of dispensing or output pump 
           258 —Pump drive motor 
           262 —Pump drive shaft