Abstract:
An apparatus and method of separating medium-sized materials such as trash, bottles, floated articles, and submerged articles from garbage for collection by means of wind and water is disclosed. Moreover, an initial cleaning of garbage and a dilution of toxic materials contained therein are performed while disposing garbage, thereby significantly reducing a possibility of contracting diseases by or poisoning cleaning employees.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to garbage disposal and more particularly to an apparatus and method of rapidly, effectively of separating medium-sized materials (e.g., thin plastic plates, etc.) from garbage for collection.  
           [0003]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0004]    As to garbage disposal, typically there are techniques, i.e., landfill and burning, widely used throughout the world. Many precious lands are used for landfill as more garbage is generated everyday. Underground water and soil may be polluted by buried garbage if an appropriate disposal is not done. As to burning, it can cause severe air pollution if smoke generated during burning is not well processed prior to discharge. As to generated ashes, they are buried after being generated. Hence, the problem of polluting underground water and soil still exists. Further, it is often that residents violently protest a garbage disposal site to be established in their neighborhood because they think it may degrade their living quality once established. Furthermore, the cost of disposing garbage is increased significantly as less land being available for landfill.  
           [0005]    Resources on earth begin to deplete in recent years. Hence, more and more people are aware of the importance of resource recycling by actively cooperating with the resource recycling policy. It is desired that amount of garbage can be reduced significantly in a near future by successfully recycling resources in order to prolong a useful time of land for burying garbage and preserve limited resources on earth.  
           [0006]    However, the typical resource recycling (i.e., garbage recycling) techniques are unsatisfactory now. For example, a satisfactory garbage classification is not possible by the typical resource recycling techniques mainly because a wide. variety of different materials are contained in garbage. The materials comprise cotton products, cans made of aluminum or iron, plastic plates, plastic foam products, etc. More often that classification of such garbage is done by a disadvantageous manual process for being time consuming and tedious. Moreover, cleaning employees are susceptible of contracting diseases or being poisoned by contaminants or toxic materials contained in some cotton products or bottles mixed with garbage. Hence, a need for improvement exists.  
           [0007]    Thus, it is desirable to provide a novel apparatus and method of separating medium-sized materials such as thin plastic plates or the like from garbage for collection in order to overcome the above drawbacks of the prior art.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method of effectively separating medium-sized materials from garbage for collection by means of wind and water.  
           [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method of separating medium-sized materials such as trash, bottles, floated articles, and submerged articles from garbage for collection.  
           [0010]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of separating medium-sized materials from garbage for collection while performing an initial cleaning of garbage and a dilution of toxic materials in garbage by water for preventing the toxic materials from leaking, thereby significantly reducing a possibility of contracting diseases by or poisoning cleaning employees.  
           [0011]    To attain the above mentioned objects and advantages, the method of the invention comprising the steps of:  
           [0012]    (1) pouring garbage mixed with water into a conveyor screen assembly prior to separating a medium-sized garbage therefrom;  
           [0013]    (2) separating heavy garbage and light garbage from the medium-sized garbage by blowing;  
           [0014]    (3) separating empty cans and bottles from the light garbage by blowing; and  
           [0015]    (4) separating floated and submerged articles from the remained garbage in the step (3) by water flow by discharging the light garbage from a inclined conveyor into a water channel and separating the floated and the submerged articles from the light garbage by water flow in the water channel for respectively collecting.  
           [0016]    Preferably, the step (1) of the invention comprises the sub-steps of:  
           [0017]    pouring the garbage mixed with water into the conveyor screen assembly to cause small garbage and organic matter to pass through the conveyor screen assembly for collection; and  
           [0018]    blowing the not sifted medium-sized garbage out of a surface of the conveyor screen assembly for further processing by strong wind set up by a blower.  
           [0019]    Preferably, the step (2) of the invention comprises the sub-steps of:  
           [0020]    activating blowing means to blow air into a wind channel for forcing the medium-sized garbage to fall onto an inclined conveyor; and  
           [0021]    continuing to transport the lighter garbage and the empty cans and bottles along the inclined conveyor and dropping the heavy garbage out of the inclined conveyor for collection.  
           [0022]    Preferably, the step (3) of the invention comprises the sub-steps of:  
           [0023]    blowing wind toward the cans, the bottles, and the lighter garbage on the inclined conveyor for continuing to carry the lighter garbage upward along the inclined conveyor; and  
           [0024]    dropping the empty cans and bottles out of the inclined conveyor for collection wherein the empty cans and bottles substantially have a round shape or being multiangular and have a sufficient weight.  
           [0025]    Preferably, the apparatus of invention comprising:  
           [0026]    a conveyor screen assembly for permitting small, light garbage and organic matter in the garbage to pass through, the conveyor screen assembly comprising an internal blower proximate one end, the blower being adapted to obliquely blow air toward a surface and one end of the conveyor screen assembly;  
           [0027]    a conveyor under one end of the conveyor screen assembly and perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the conveyor screen assembly, the conveyor being adapted to transport the medium-sized garbage sent from the conveyor screen assembly to a next stage;  
           [0028]    a waterway beneath both the conveyor screen assembly and the conveyor;  
           [0029]    a baffle above the conveyor and in front of one end of the conveyor screen assembly, the baffle being adapted to deflect the medium-sized garbage blown from the conveyor screen assembly onto the conveyor;  
           [0030]    a wind channel for receiving a discharge end of the conveyor, the wind channel including a first blowing means under the conveyor for blowing air into the wind channel;  
           [0031]    a trash conveyor under and perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the first blowing means, one end of the trash conveyor being horizontally extended away from the wind channel;  
           [0032]    a trash collection container under a discharge end of the trash conveyor;  
           [0033]    a gable wind shroud coupled to a discharge opening of the wind channel at its intake end, the wind shroud comprising a second blowing means at the intake end of the wind shroud, the second blowing means being adapted to blow air into the wind channel, the second blowing means being higher than the first blowing means, an internal inclined conveyor at a path of blowing air of the second blowing means, an angle of the inclined conveyor being adjustable and a top of the inclined conveyor being spaced apart from a bottom of a vertex of the wind shroud for permitting a free garbage pass therebetween, a bottle conveyor below the inclined conveyor, and a bottle collection tray below a discharge end of the bottle conveyor; and  
           [0034]    a water channel below a discharge opening of the wind shroud opposite the wind channel, the water channel comprising a drain pipe extended from a bottom thereof, an inclined submerged article conveyor above the drain pipe, a submerged article collection container below a discharge end of the submerged article conveyor, a top recess at a side wall of the water channel, an inclined sprinkler including a plurality of injection nozzles for obliquely spraying water toward a surface of the water channel and the recess, and a collection vessel below and adjacent the recess for storing water and floated articles.  
           [0035]    The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0036]    [0036]FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing a sequence of method steps performed by an apparatus according to the invention;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3 schematically illustrating a portion of garbage disposal flow performed by the apparatus; and  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 5 is a side view schematically illustrating the garbage disposal flow performed by the apparatus. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0041]    Medium-sized garbage of the invention is defined as thin plastic plates, floated articles (e.g., bottles, food containers made of plastic foam, and leaves), or submerged articles (e.g., shoes, boards, detachable products, and diapers). For ease of discussion, they are collectively called medium-sized garbage.  
         [0042]    First mix garbage with water. Next, remove heavy or large garbage (i.e., garbage sunk in water) from garbage. A sequence of method steps are then performed by an apparatus of separating medium-sized materials from garbage for collection in accordance with the invention as referring to FIG. 1.  
         [0043]    In step  1 , pour garbage mixed with water into a conveyor screen assembly prior to separating medium-sized garbage therefrom. In detail, pour garbage mixed with water into a conveyor screen assembly to cause small garbage and organic matter to pass through meshed openings of the conveyor screen assembly for collection. The not sifted medium-sized garbage will be blown out of the conveyor screen assembly for further processing by strong wind set up by a blower.  
         [0044]    In step  2 , separate heavy garbage and light garbage from the medium-sized garbage by blowing. In detail, activate a blowing device to blow air into a wind channel for forcing the medium-sized garbage to fall onto an inclined conveyor in which light garbage, cans, or bottles will continue to carry along the inclined conveyor and heavy garbage will be dropped out of the inclined conveyor for collection.  
         [0045]    In step  3 , separate empty cans and bottles from the light garbage by blowing. In detail, blow a strong wind toward cans, bottles, and light garbage on the inclined conveyor in which the light garbage will continue to be carried upward along the inclined conveyor by the strong wind blown thereonto and empty cans and bottles substantially having a round shape or being multiangular and having a sufficient weight, they will drop out of the inclined conveyor for collection.  
         [0046]    In step  4 , separate floated and submerged articles from the remained garbage by water flow. In detail, light garbage discharged from the inclined conveyor will drop into a water channel. Next, separate floated and submerged articles from the light garbage by water flow in the water channel for respectively collecting.  
         [0047]    Referring to FIGS. 2, 3,  4 , and  5 , the apparatus of separating medium-sized materials from garbage for collection is shown. The apparatus comprises a conveyor screen assembly  10  for permitting small, light garbage and organic matter in garbage to pass through. The conveyor screen assembly  10  comprises an internal blower  11  proximate one end of the conveyor screen assembly  10 , the blower  11  being adapted to obliquely blow air toward a surface and one end of the conveyor screen assembly  10 , and an internal sprinkler assembly  12  for upwardly spraying water toward the conveyor screen assembly  10 . The apparatus further comprises a first conveyor  20  under one end of the conveyor screen assembly  10  and perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the conveyor screen assembly  10 , the first conveyor  20  being adapted to transport medium-sized garbage sent from the conveyor screen assembly  10  to a next stage as detailed later, a waterway  40  beneath both the conveyor screen assembly  10  and the first conveyor  20 , a baffle  30  above the first conveyor  20  and in front of one end of the conveyor screen assembly  10 , the baffle  30  being adapted to deflect the medium-sized garbage blown from the conveyor screen assembly  10  onto the first conveyor  20 , and a shaft  13  including a plurality of equally spaced apart, arcuate, and axial revolving vanes  130  on its outer surface. The shaft  13  can rotate clockwise (see FIG. 4). A gap S of about 3 cm to about 10 cm is formed between one end of the conveyor screen assembly  10  and the outermost point of the vane  130 . Also, the gap S is adjustable.  
         [0048]    The apparatus further comprises a wind channel  50  for receiving the other end of the first conveyor  20 , the wind channel  50  including a first blowing device  51  under the first conveyor  20  for blowing air into the wind channel  50 , a trash conveyor  60  under and perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the first blowing device  51 , one end of the trash conveyor  60  being horizontally extended away from the side of the wind channel  50 , a trash collection container  61  under one end of the trash conveyor  60 , a gable wind duct  70  having one end coupled to a discharge opening of the wind channel  50 , the wind duct  70  comprising a second blowing device  71  at the junction of the wind duct  70  and the wind channel  50 , the second blowing device  71  being adapted to blow air into the wind channel  50 , the second blowing device  71  being higher than the first blowing device  51 , a reverse conveyor  72  under the second blowing device  71  but above the trash conveyor  60 , the reverse conveyor  72  including a plurality of rows of needles  720  made of nylon on an endless transfer belt thereof, an internal inclined second conveyor  73  adjacent the reverse conveyor  72 , an inclined angle of the second conveyor  73  being adjustable, the top of the second conveyor  73  being spaced apart from the bottom of a vertex of the wind duct  70  for permitting garbage to pass therebetween, a bottle conveyor  74  below and between the second conveyor  73  and the reverse conveyor  72 , and a bottle collection tray  75  below a discharge end of the bottle conveyor  74 .  
         [0049]    The apparatus further comprises a water channel  80  below a discharge opening  700  of the wind duct  70  opposite the wind channel  50 , the water channel  80  comprising a drain pipe  82  extended from its bottom, an inclined submerged article conveyor  83  above the drain pipe  82 , a submerged article collection container  84  below a discharge end of the submerged article conveyor  83 , a top recess  800  at a side wall of the water channel  80 , an inclined sprinkler  90  having a plurality of injection nozzles  91  for obliquely spraying water toward a surface of the water channel  80  and the recess  800 , and a collection vessel  81  below and adjacent the recess  800  for storing water and floated articles including products made of plastic foam.  
         [0050]    An operation of the invention will now be described below by referring to FIGS.  2  to  5  again. First mix garbage with water. Next, remove heavy or large garbage (i.e., garbage sunk in water) from garbage. Next, pour garbage mixed with water into the conveyor screen assembly  10 . Small garbage will pass through meshed openings of the conveyor screen assembly  10  to fall onto the waterway  40  under the conveyor screen assembly  10 . Water in the waterway  40  will transport the small garbage to a next stage for processing which is not pertinent to the invention. Thus a detailed description thereof is omitted herein for the sake of brevity. The garbage not sifted is continuously transported toward the first conveyor  20  and medium-sized, light materials in garbage are immediately blown out of the surface of the conveyor screen assembly  10  by strong wind set up by the blower  11 . The blown medium-sized garbage is blocked and deflected by the baffle  30  to fall onto the first conveyor  20 . The medium-sized garbage (e.g., containers full of water or bottles full of water) having a size larger than the gap S between one end of the conveyor screen assembly  10  and the outermost point of the vane  130  will contact the vanes  130 . The revolving vanes  130  then convey them to fall onto the first conveyor  20 . As to garbage having a size less than the gap S will drop into the waterway  40  to be carried away for further processing.  
         [0051]    For the medium-sized garbage fallen on the first conveyor  20 , it will be transported into the wind channel  50  to fall onto the trash conveyor  60 . At this time, the first blowing device  51  is activated to blow air into the wind channel  50 . As such, in the wind channel  50  medium-sized, light materials in garbage (e.g., articles made of plastic foam, empty bottles, etc.) carried from the first conveyor  20  will be blown to fall onto the second conveyor  73  by passing over the trash conveyor  60  and the reverse conveyor  72 . The activated second conveyor  73  will carry the medium-sized garbage upwardly. For medium-sized garbage having a sufficient weight, it will fall onto the trash conveyor  60  because the blowing strength set up by the first blowing device  51  has a limit. Garbage fallen on the trash conveyor  60  will be carried to the trash collection container  61  for further processing. Note that some materials in the medium-sized garbage (e.g., ropes soaked with water, diapers, or half full bottles and cans, etc.) may have a weight sufficient to be blown up by the first blowing device  51  but they cannot pass over the reverse conveyor  72 . The invention takes them as trash in processing. Hence, a transporting direction of the reverse conveyor  72  is toward the trash conveyor  60 . In other words, those materials in the medium-sized garbage will be carried by the reverse conveyor  72  to fall onto the trash conveyor  60  for processing. The provision of the rows of needles  720  on the trash conveyor  60  aims at catching the above ropes, diapers, etc. For preventing them from being blown out of the reverse conveyor  72  again by the current of air blown by the first blowing device  51  if they have dried during transporting.  
         [0052]    As to light garbage fallen onto the second conveyor  73  as blown by the first blowing device  51 , it may be either empty bottles, cans, etc. or articles made of plastic foam, plastic plates, papers, etc. For example, empty bottles or cans substantially have a round shape or being multiangular and have a sufficient weight. Further, they are distal from the first blowing device  51 . As a result, they will slide down along the second conveyor  73  to fall onto the bottle conveyor  74  as they are conveying upward along the second conveyor  73 . The empty bottles or cans fallen on the bottle conveyor  74  will be carried to drop into the bottle conveyor  74  for further processing. As to articles made of plastic foam, plastic plates, papers, etc., they will be continuously carried by the second conveyor  73  until a predetermined height has been reached. That is, at the predetermined height the current of air blown by the first blowing device  51  does not have a sufficient strength to maintain they to stay on the bottle conveyor  74 . Also, about at the predetermined height the second blowing device  71  will blow air toward these articles made of plastic foam, plastic plates, papers, etc. To cause them to still stay on the bottle conveyor  74  for carrying. Moreover, strong air set up by the second blowing device  71  will blow articles made of plastic foam, plastic plates, papers, etc. To fall into the water channel  80  from the discharge opening  700  of the wind duct  70  after passing the wind duct  70 . As to articles made of plastic foam, plastic plates, papers, etc. fallen into the water channel  80 , they will be carried toward the sprinkler  90  and the submerged article conveyor  83  by water flow. At this time, articles made of plastic foam, etc. will float on the water channel  80 . As such, the strong water sprayed by the injection nozzles  91  of the sprinkler  90  will push the floated articles made of plastic foam, etc. To drop into the collection vessel  81  for further processing after leaving the recess  800 . As to those plastic plates, papers, etc. (i.e., submerged article), they will continue to carry toward the submerged article conveyor  83  by water flow. The submerged article conveyor  83  will carry the arrived plastic plates, papers, etc. to its end prior to dropping them into the submerged article collection container  84  for further processing.  
         [0053]    The benefits of the invention include (1) providing a novel and unique garbage disposal implementation of rapidly, effectively, conveniently, and precisely separating medium-sized garbage from garbage for collection by means of wind and water; (2) performing an initial cleaning of garbage by means of water while classifying garbage for facilitating a subsequent garbage recycling; (3) diluting toxic materials in garbage by means of water while classifying garbage for reducing a possibility of contracting diseases by people; and (4) providing an apparatus capable of effectively, rapidly, and precisely separating medium-sized garbage from garbage for collection.  
         [0054]    While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.