Abstract:
A split hopper for dispensing granular or powdery materials has a hopper body and a lid. At least the hopper body is formed principally from a castable resin material such as polyurethane. The hopper body is formed from two hopper body sections mating at vertical faces and hinged to one another. Tooling mounts and other features such as clamping lugs can be cast directly into the hopper body sections during the casting process. The lid may be sealed to the top of the hopper body via a ring seal that may seal both radially and axially against the hopper body. A tool holder may be provided beneath the discharge opening of the hopper body for selectively engaging tooling so that the tooling does not fall out of the hopper body when the hopper body is opened.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 USC §1.119(e) to earlier U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/232,987, filed Sep. 25, 2015 and entitled SPLIT DISPENSING HOPPER, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The invention relates to dispensing hoppers and, more particularly, relates to a so-called “split hopper” for dispensing granular or powdery materials into an underlying container. 
         [0004]    Discussion of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Hoppers are widely used to dispense granular or powdery materials into underlying containers such as bags or packages. The typical hopper includes a generally frustoconically-shaped hopper body that has a relatively small lower dispensing opening and an open upper end that closable with a lid or cover. A dispensing auger extends downwardly through the center of the interior of the hopper body, through the lower dispensing opening for dispensing materials from the hopper at a controlled rate, and directs the dispensed material into an underlying container or package through a tool mounted on the bottom of the hopper. 
         [0006]    So-called “split hoppers” are available the hopper body of each of which is formed in two sections that are hinged to one another so as to permit the hopper body to be opened for cleaning and tool replacement. Split hoppers are particularly attractive to users that need to reconfigure the hopper for different products as frequently as ever few hours. These users need to clean the inside of the hopper as part of the changeover process. A split hopper greatly facilitates this cleaning, along with related changeover operations, such as tool replacement. 
         [0007]    The typical such hopper body is made of stainless steel and is capable of storing and dispensing from 16 to 20 gallons of material. The lid may also be made of stainless steel. One such hopper is commercially available from Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery, Inc. of Sturtevant, Wis. 
         [0008]    Stainless steel split hoppers work very well but are very expensive on a per-unit basis to fabricate and assemble. This is due in part to the fact that stainless steel is expensive to acquire and fabricate. 
         [0009]    In addition, the primary ring seal that seals the lid of the typical split hopper to the underlying hopper body typically provides a seal at only one peripheral location, risking loss of seal integrity. 
         [0010]    The expense and complexity of the typical split hopper also are exasperated by the need for five separate seals in and around the lid. 
         [0011]    In addition, the typical split hopper does not include any mechanism to hold a tool. As a result, the tool may fall out of the hopper when the hopper is open, with resultant risk of damage to the tool. 
         [0012]    The need therefore exists to provide improvements to existing split hopper designs. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a split hopper is provided having a hopper body and a lid. At least the hopper body is formed principally from a castable resin material rather than stainless steel or another metal. The material may be a urethane or another material suitable for the selected application. The hopper body is formed from two hopper body sections mating at vertically inclined faces and hinged to one another. Tooling mounts and other elements can be cast directly into the hopper body sections during the casting process. 
         [0014]    The lid may be sealed to the top of the hopper body via a ring seal. The ring seal may be generally L-shaped when viewed in transverse cross section and may have at least two radial seals that seal against the inner surface of the hopper body and additionally has an axial seal that seals against an upwardly-facing surface of the hopper body. 
         [0015]    Openings may be provided on the lid for receiving ancillary devices, and those openings may also be sealed to the ancillary devices by internal seals. All such seals may be cast into the lid. One or more of the seals can be formed integrally with one another and/or with the ring seal. 
         [0016]    Clamp assemblies may be provided for clamping the hopper body sections together. Each clamp assembly may engage first and second lugs which are cast into the first and second hopper body sections, respectively. Each clamp assembly may include first and second relatively moveable clamp components that cooperate with one another and with the lugs to selectively clamp the hopper body sections together. 
         [0017]    A tool holder may be provided beneath the discharge opening of the hopper body for selectively engaging tooling so that the tooling does not fall out of the hopper body when the hopper body is opened. 
         [0018]    These and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout, and in which: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a split hopper constructed in accordance with the present invention, viewed from in front of the split hopper with the hopper body in its closed position; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the hopper body of  FIG. 1 , shown in greater detail, but showing the hopper body in its closed position; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  corresponds to  FIG. 2  and shows the hopper in its open position; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a fragmentary side elevation view of the upper end of the split hopper taken along the line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the lid of the split hopper; 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a bottom plan view of the lid of the split hopper; 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is a section top plan view of the split hopper taken along the line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  is a sectional plan view of the split hopper, taken generally along the line  8 - 8  in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  is a bottom plan view of the split hopper in a closed position and showing a tooling holder of the split hopper in an engaged or operative position; and 
           [0029]      FIG. 10  corresponds to  FIG. 9  and shows the tooling holder in a disengaged or retracted position thereof. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0030]    Referring now to the various views and initially to  FIGS. 1-3 , a split hopper  20  is illustrated that is constructed in accordance with the present invention. The hopper  20  is configured to store and dispense a powdery or granular material and may have a capacity of, for example, 16 to 20 gallons. The hopper  20  is mounted on a mobile stand that includes a wheeled base (not shown), a vertical support post  24 , a central hopper support arm  26 , and an upper auger holder  28 , both of which extend horizontally from the vertical post  24 . A spindle  30  extends into the hopper  20  from the auger holder  28  for rotatably supporting a dispensing auger  32 . The auger  32  extends into a tool  34  in the form of a stepped tubular element located beneath the hopper  20 . Tool  34  is clamped in place by two clamps  130  and four set screws  140  ( FIGS. 8-10 ) that must be loosened to open the hopper body  40 . Tool  34  includes a collar  36  and a dispensing tube  38  located beneath the collar  36 . 
         [0031]    The hopper  20  includes a two-part hopper body  40  and a lid  42  that, during operation, is sealed to the top of the hopper body  40 . The hopper body  40  is formed from a resin material. Any of number of materials could be used. The ideal material is castable because gravity cast molds are very inexpensive when compared to injection molds. It also should be sufficiently strong and durable to survive the rigors of industrial settings. In some applications it should preferably be FDA approved and sufficiently non-porous to be cleanable to “3-A” Sanitary Standards or “3-A-SSI.” An ideal material also should be transparent to x-rays and/or metal detectors so as permit inspection of the interior of the hopper  20  during shipment. Urethane is acceptable for all of these purposes. However, other castable and even injection-moldable materials would be suitable for some or all of these purposes as well. The hopper  20  as a whole provides at least a 50% cost reduction when compared to a stainless steel hopper of equal capacity and capabilities. 
         [0032]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1-3 , the hopper body  40  is generally frustoconical in shape so as to have a relatively small lower dispensing opening  44  that receives the tool  34  and an open upper end  46  that is closable with the lid  42 . The uppermost end of the hopper body  40  is cylindrical for mating with the lid  42  as detailed below. The hopper body  40  is formed from two hopper body sections  48  and  50  and thus is “split” vertically down the center. The hopper body sections  48  and  50  may be cast from two components, with the two components being a general mirror image of one another. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a groove  49  is formed in each surface of one of the hopper body sections  48  for receiving a side seal  51  that engages a mating surface of the hopper body section  50  when the hopper body is closed. Each seal  51  may be formed from the same or a comparable material as the material of the upper seals in the lid  42 , described below. 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 and 9 , the sections  48  and  50  of the hopper body  40  are connected to one another at one side via a hinge  52  that permits one hopper body section  50  to move relative to the other hopper body section  48  under operation of a handle  53  located at the bottom of section  50 . The two sections hopper body  48  and  50  can be selectively clamped together via a plurality of vertically spaced clamp assemblies  54 . Five such clamp assemblies  54  are provided in the illustrated embodiment, two of which are located beneath the hinge  52  and three of which are provided on the side of the hopper body  40  opposite the hinge  52 . Each clamp assembly  54  has first and second relatively moveable components that cooperate with one another and with slotted lugs  56  and  58  that are cast into the hopper body sections  48  and  50  to selectively clamp the hopper body sections  48  and  50  together. Referring to  FIGS. 1-3, 9, and 10 , each clamp assembly  54  of this embodiment includes a base  57 , cast into or otherwise affixed to the outer surface of one of the lugs  56 , and a shank  59  that is pivotally attached to the base  57  and that is selectively pivotable into engagement with the other lug  58 . The shank  59  is sufficiently long to extend through mating slots  55  in both lugs  56  and  58 . The end of the shank  59  is threaded and receives a clamping cylinder  60  that can be selectively tightened into contact with the outer surface of the associated lug  58  via operation of a knob  61 . 
         [0035]    A two-part stainless steel tooling mount  70  is cast into the bottom of the hopper body  40  in a surrounding relationship with the dispensing opening  44  as best seen in  FIGS. 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10 . This mount  70  comprises a split collar, one portion  71  of which has alignment pins  72  that are insertable into openings in the mating portion  73  of the split collar  70  as seen in  FIG. 6 . One portion  71  of the split collar  70  is bolted onto a hopper mount  74  which, in turn, is bolted to the support arm  26 . The other portion  73  of the split collar  70  has the handle  53  attached to or formed integrally therewith. The split collar  70  supports and seals against the collar  36  of tool  38  when the split collar hopper body  40  is closed and permits tool removal when the hopper body  40  is open. The split collar  70  can be clamped closed by first and second opposed clamps  130  each having a shank  132  pivotally attached to the collar section  71 . The shank  132  of each clamp  130  receives clamping cylinder  134  that can be tightened against a lug  136  on collar section  73  by a knob  138 . 
         [0036]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3-6 , the lid  42  is formed from stainless steel, but could be injection molded or even could be cast. Lid  42  has a central opening  80  that receives the spindle  30 . It also includes a fill opening  84  that receives a fill chute  86  for supplying materials to be dispensed into the interior of the hopper body  40 . An inspection opening  88 , sealable by an outer access cover  90 , also is provided in the lid  42  to permit operators to inspect material stored in the hopper  20 . Finally, an opening  92  is formed in the lid  42  for receiving a vibratory level control device  94  that extends into the hopper body  40  from above. All of the openings  80 ,  84 ,  88 , and  92  are sealed as discussed below. 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIGS. 4-6 and 8 , a gasket seal ring  100  is provided around the outer perimeter of the lid  42 . This seal ring  100  is generally L-shaped when viewed in transverse cross-section so as to have a downwardly-facing generally horizontal sealing surface  102  and an outwardly facing generally vertical surface  104 . The sealing surface  102  seals against an upwardly facing surface of the hopper body  40  which, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises the upper edge of the hopper body  40 . Two spaced annular radial sealing surfaces  106  and  108  on the vertical surface  104  radially seal against the inner periphery of the hopper body  40 . The seal ring  100  thus seals against the hopper body  40  at three spaced locations, two of which provide radial seals and one of which provides an axial seal. This sealing arrangement greatly enhances seal integrity. 
         [0038]    Referring especially to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the openings  80 ,  84 ,  88 , and  92  are sealed by respective seals  110 ,  112 ,  114 , and  116 , all of which can be cast into the lid  42 , along with the seal ring  100 . The seals  112 ,  114 , and  116  can be coupled and cast with the ring seal  100  so that only two silicon pieces need to be provided on each side of the lid  42 , one for forming the seal  110  at the central opening for receiving the spindle  30  and one for forming the remaining seals  100 ,  112 ,  114 , and  116 . This construction dramatically reduces the number of required components and facilitates molding. Cast gaskets are beneficial because they cannot fall into the underlying hopper body  40 . They also can be easily wiped for cleaning. 
         [0039]    The side seals  51  and the seals  100 ,  110 ,  112 ,  114 , and  116  could be formed from silicon or a soft durometer urethane also could be used. If the lid  42  were to be injection-molded rather than cast, then Viton or Buna N rubber could be used for at least the seals that engage the lid  42 . 
         [0040]    Referring now to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , a tool holder  120  is provided at the bottom of the split hopper body  40  beneath the collar  36  of the tool  34 . The tool holder  120  is configured to be manually movable 1) from an engaged or operative position in which it supports the collar  36  from below and prevents the tool  34  from falling from the hopper  20  when the hopper body  40  is open and the set screws  140  are loosened 2) to a disengaged or retracted position in which it is spaced from the collar  36 , permitting tool removal. The illustrated tool holder  120  includes a generally Y-shaped metal element forming a handle  122  at one end of the Y and first and second arms  124  and  126  at the opposite end of the Y. When the tool holder  120  is in its engaged position, the arms  124  and  126  support the bottom surface of the collar  36  of tool  34  and flank the upper end of the tube  38  as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . When the tool holder  120  is in its disengaged position, the arms  124  and  126  are spaced from the collar  36  as seen in  FIG. 10 , permitting tool removal. One of the arms  126  has a hole formed in it that receives a shoulder bolt  128 . The shoulder bolt  128  is threaded into the bottom surface of the tooling mount  70  with sufficient clamping force to fairly tightly hold the tool holder  120  in place in either its engaged or disengaged. 
         [0041]    With this construction, the tool can be clamped in place and removed without using any tools. In fact, nothing needs to be removed when replacing tools. The tool holder  120  instead can be manually rotated against the moderate tension of the shoulder bolt  128 . 
         [0042]    To open the hopper body  40 , all one need to do is loosen the knobs  61  of the hopper body clamp assemblies  54  and loosen the knobs  138  of the tool holder clamps  130 , holding the tooling in place. The shanks  59  are then swung out of engagement with the slots in the lugs  58  of the clamp assemblies  54 , and the shanks  132  are swung out of engagement with the lugs  136  of the clamps  130  as seen in  FIG. 3 . The operator can then grasp the handle  53  and pivot the hopper section  50  about the hinge  52  to expose the interior of the hopper body  40  for cleaning, maintenance, etc. The tool  34  is prevented from falling out of the open hopper body  40 , even if the set screws  140  are not tight, by the tool holder  120 . 
         [0043]    If tool replacement is desired, the tool can be removed simply by loosening the set screws  140 . The user then grasps the handle  128  of the tool holder and pivots the tool holder  120  about the bolt  128  from the position illustrated in  FIG. 9  in which the collar  36  of the tool  34  rests on the arms  124  and  126  to the position illustrated in  FIG. 10  in which the arms  124  and  126  clear the collar  36 . The tool  34  can now be removed. The process is simply reversed to close the hopper body  40 , whereupon the split collar  70  seals against the tool collar  36 , the sides of the hopper body sections  48  and  50  are sealed by the side seals  51 , and the top of the hopper body  40  seals against the seal ring  100 . 
         [0044]    Although the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out the present invention is disclosed above, practice of the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be manifest that various additions, modifications and rearrangements of the aspects and features of the present invention may be made in addition to those described above without deviating from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept.