Abstract:
A white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner for eliminating multiple steps otherwise necessary to properly clean grains. The white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner includes a separator assembly including a grain receiver having a side wall, an open top, an open bottom, an open side and a passageway extending therethrough, and also including a planar mesh screen removably disposed in the passageway for removing white cap from grain.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to grain cleaners and more particularly pertains to a new white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner for eliminating multiple steps otherwise necessary to properly clean grains. 
     Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of grain cleaners are known in the prior art. More specifically, grain cleaners heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
     The prior art includes an indent cylinder assembly which includes a removable cylinder. The cylinder is removed by unwrapping it from around a frame. The grain cleaner also includes at least some augers with drop away troughs. The grain cleaner also includes grain cleaning assemblies such as, for example, indent cylinders and rotary screen drums and/or grain cleaning assemblies drive systems which are mounted on framework members capable of pivoting outwardly from the machine allowing access to machinery and components positioned centrally within the grain cleaner. Another prior art includes a grain processor for separating and measuring components of a sample of grain as it passes through a rotary sieve having two or more sieving sections having different perforations so that selective separation is made on the basis of the size of the particles in the sample. A single rotatable drum presents a substantially continuous screen surface of increasing mesh size from one end to another with the drum having an inlet end and an outlet end. Also another prior art includes a plurality of baffles disposed in spaced apart relationship along the periphery of and along the length of the screen surface of the drum for retarding the flow of material therethrough. Retaining means is provided in the vicinity of the outlet end of the drum for retarding the flow of foreign material from the drum while accommodating the eventual passage of foreign material out of the drum. The drum is rotated by any conventional power source. While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner which has many of the advantages of the grain cleaners mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art grain cleaners, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes a separator assembly including a grain receiver having a side wall, an open top, an open bottom, an open side and a passageway extending therethrough, and also including a planar mesh screen removably disposed in the passageway for removing white cap from grain. 
     None of the prior art includes the combination of the elements of the present invention. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner which has many of the advantages of the grain cleaners mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art grain cleaners, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner for eliminating multiple steps otherwise necessary to properly clean grains. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner that allows the user to load all grains to be cleaned into one unit without having to load the grains into separate units to first remove the white caps. 
     Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner that can be easily and conveniently changed or adapted to clean grains directly or remove the white caps first before cleaning the grain. 
     These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded top perspective view of a white cap removal unit for a unit of a new white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the white cap removal unit for a unit of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the second embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 4  thereof, a new white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 4 , the white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner  10  may generally comprise a separator assembly  11  including a grain receiver  12  having a side wall  13 , an open top  14 , an open bottom  15 , an open side  18  and a passageway  48  extending therethrough, and may also include a planar mesh screen  25  removably disposed in the passageway  48  for removing white cap from grain. The separator assembly  11  may also include an agitator  27  which includes a motor energized by a conventional power source such as an electrical outlet with the agitator  27  conventionally coupled to the mesh screen  25  for vibrating the mesh screen  25  to remove the white cap from the grain with the grain passing through the mesh screen  25  and the open bottom  15 . The planar mesh screen  25  may have a bottom side  26  with the agitator  27  conventionally fastened to the bottom side  26  of the mesh screen  25 . The separator assembly  11  may also include a shield  28  conventionally attached to the bottom side  26  of the mesh screen  25  and disposed about the agitator  27 . The shield  28  may have a proximate end portion  29  conventionally coupled to the bottom side  26  of the mesh screen  25  adjacent to the agitator  27  and may also have an intermediate portion  30  extending downwardly perpendicular to the mesh screen  25  and may further have a distal end portion  31  angled relative to the intermediate portion  30  and disposed beneath the agitator  27 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 4 , the separator assembly  11  may further include a gate  22  movably disposed in the open side  18  to open and close the open side  18  and to allow the white cap to gravitationally move out of the grain receiver  12 . The gate  22  may have side edges  22   a ,  22   b  with side flanges  23 ,  24  conventionally disposed along a length of the side edges  22   a ,  22   b  and fastenable to the side wall  13  to secure the gate  22  in a closed position or at least in a partially open position in the open side  18  of the grain receiver  12 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the separator assembly  11  may include rigid elongate support strips  20 ,  21  forming ledges and disposed in the passageway  48  of the grain receiver  12  and conventionally attached to the side wall  13 . The mesh screen  25  may be removably supported upon the elongate support strips  20 ,  21 . The side wall  13  may have top and bottom edges  16 ,  17  with longitudinal axes of the elongate support strips  20 ,  21  angled relative to the top and bottom edges  16 ,  17  of the side wall  13 . The elongate support strips  20 ,  21  may be slanted downwardly from near the top edge  16  to the bottom edge  17  towards the open side  18  with the mesh screen  25  slanted downwardly towards the open side  18  when removably disposed in the grain receiver  12  and upon the elongate support strips  20 ,  21  to facilitate gravitationally moving the white cap out of the grain receiver  12 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 through 4 , the separator assembly  11  may further include a chute  32  disposed below the open side  18  and depending from the grain receiver  12 . The chute  32  may have a slide  33  with upturned sides  34 ,  35 . Each of the upturned sides  34 ,  35  may be conventionally coupled along the bottom edge  17  of the side wall  13  of the grain receiver  12 . The chute  32  includes a housing  36  having side walls  37 ,  38 , first and second end walls  40 ,  41  and an open top  39 . the first and second end walls  40 ,  41  are coupled along the bottom edge  17  of the side wall  13  of the grain receiver  12 . The first end wall  40  is a slide which is slanted downwardly towards the second end wall  41 , wherein the second end wall  41  has a bottom end portion  42  with an opening  43  disposed therethrough to allow the white cap to exit the housing  36 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner  10  may further include a grain cleaner  44  having a housing member  45  with a hopper section  46  forming a top portion of the housing member  45  and having an open top  47  for receiving grain and a channel  49  disposed therethrough. The grain receiver  12  may be conventionally coupled upon the hopper section  46  with the passageway  48  vertically aligned with the channel  49 . The grain receiver  12  may have a bottom flange  19  conventionally and integrally disposed along the bottom edge  17  of the side wall  13 . The bottom flange  19  may be conventionally fastened upon and along a top edge  50  of the hopper section  47  of the grain cleaner  44  to secure the grain receiver  12  to the housing member  45 . The chute  32  depending from the grain receiver  12  may be disposed adjacent to and alongside the hopper section  46 . 
     In use, grain is loaded into the grain receiver  12  and dispensed through the grain receiver  12  into the grain cleaner  44 . The mesh screen  25  may be inserted in a passageway  48  of the grain receiver  12  and the grain may be loaded upon the mesh screen  25  and the agitator  27  may be conventionally energized, which vibrates the mesh screen  27  and the vibration removes the white cap from the grain. The white cap from the grain receiver  12  may be gravitationally removed down the chute  32  with the grain passing through the mesh screen  25  into the grain cleaner  44 . 
     As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the white cap removal unit for a grain cleaner. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.