Patent Publication Number: US-5427262-A

Title: Multi-compartment drum

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention is related to the field of storage drums. In preferred forms, the present invention is embodied in a storage drum having multiple storage compartments which allow at least two dissimilar materials (e.g., liquids, particulate solid materials, slurries or the like) to be stored separately of one another in respective ones of the compartments, but be readily available for collective use (e.g., as a mixture of such materials). 
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is sometimes desirable or necessary to supply pourable dissimilar materials (e.g., liquids, particulate solids and the like) separately to the end user even though the end user may wish to use such dissimilar materials as a mixture. For example, certain chemically and/or functionally dissimilar agricultural chemicals are desirably applied to crops as an admixture so as to improve application efficiency and/or chemical efficacy. However, it is sometimes impossible to supply such agricultural chemicals to the end user in premixed batches due to chemical instability of the mixture and/or government environmental/occupational safety requirements. 
     It would therefore be desirable if dissimilar materials which cannot physically be stored in admixture could nonetheless be contained separately in a common storage drum so that the end user could readily dispense such materials as needed. It is toward providing such a storage drum that the present invention is directed. 
     In general, the present invention is embodied in a longitudinally bisected storage drum composed of a pair of hemi-cylindrical drum segments. Thus, each drum segment will be formed by a pair of semicircular end panels which are joined to, and spaced-apart by, a side wall having a hemi-cylindrical wall section and a substantially rectangular planar wall section. The planar wall section of one drum segment (the female drum segment) will, moreover, define a longitudinally oriented re-entrant groove which unites with a longitudinally oriented tongue protruding from the planar wall section of the other drum segment (the male drum segment). Therefore, when the tongue and groove are united with one another, an overall cylindrical drum structure will result. 
     The closely adjacent planar wall sections of each drum segment establish a diametrical parting plane when the tongue and groove are united with one another. The hemicylindrical wall segments are provided with longitudinally spaced-apart and outwardly protruding pairs of roll stops close to this parting plane. The upper semicircular end panels are each provided with a bunghole formed in relationship to the roll stops such that, when the drum structure is turned on its side and prevented from rolling by one set of roll stops, the bungholes will be substantially vertically oriented with respect to one another. 
     Thus, by simply reversing the vertical orientation of the bungholes (e.g., by rolling the drum along its cylindrical side wall until the it rests upon the other set of roll stops), the contents within the hemi-cylindrical drum segments can selectively be dispensed by positioning that segment&#39;s bunghole in the lower vertical position relative to the other bunghole. 
     Other aspects and advantages of this invention will become more clear after careful consideration is given to the detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments thereof which follow. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will hereinafter be made to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals throughout the various FIGURES denote like structural elements, and wherein; 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the multi-compartment drum according to this invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the multi-compartment drum shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the multi-compartment drum of this invention shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a front side elevational view of the multi-compartment drum of this invention as taken along lines 4--4 in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a left side elevational view of the multi-compartment drum of this invention as taken along lines 5--5 in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the multi-compartment drum according to this invention showing the respective matable drum segments thereof separated in a clam-shell fashion; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, but partly in section; and 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the drum contents may be dispensed. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     The accompanying FIGS. 1-7 depict a particularly preferred embodiment of the multi-compartment drum 10 according to the present invention. In this regard, the drum 10 essentially includes separable hemicylindrical drum segments in the form of male drum segment 12 and female drum segment 14. Each of the drum segments 12, 14 is comprised of a pair of semicircular upper and lower end panels 12a, 12b and 14a, 14b, joined to and separated by a side wall comprised of a hemicylindrical exterior wall section 12c and 14c, and substantially planar inner wall section 12d and 14d (see FIG. 6), respectively. 
     The lower end panels 12b, 14b are preferably provided with arcuate recesses 12b&#39;, 14b&#39; (or ribs, if desired) for structural strength (see FIG. 3). The side wall sections 12c, 14c, on the other hand, are preferably provided with recessed handles 12c&#39;, 14c&#39;, respectively, to facilitate handling of the drum 10. 
     As is perhaps more clearly depicted in FIG. 6, the male drum segment 12 includes a tongue 12e outwardly protruding from the inner wall section 12d, while the female drum section 14 includes a re-entrant groove 14e defined by the inner wall section 14d. The tongue 12e and groove 14e are conformably shaped so that when united, a relatively tight interference fit is achieved. In this regard, it will be noted that the tongue 12e includes an arcuate head portion 12e&#39; and a neck portion 12e&#34; of narrower dimension. The head portion 12e&#39; will thus fit conformably into the arcuate receiving channel 14e&#39; of the groove 14e, while the entranceway 14e&#34; of the groove is dimensioned so as to closely fit the neck portion 12e&#34;. This interlocking arrangement of the tongue 12e/groove 14e prevents the drum segments 12/14, respectively, from readily separating from one another. 
     It will be observed, however, that the longitudinal dimensions of the tongue 12e and groove 14e are each less than the overall longitudinal dimension of drum 10. This feature of the present invention will thus ensure that the two segments 12 and 14 are only united to one another in the intended orientation--i.e., mating of the drum segments in a reverse orientation to that shown in the drawing FIGURES is prevented. 
     Although the lower ends of the tongue 12e and groove 14e are shown in the drawing FIGURES as extending to the end (bottom) wall panels 12b and 14b, respectively, they each could terminate in a manner similar to their upper ends (i.e., each spaced from the bottom wall panels 12b, 14b, respectively). However, in the embodiment shown in the drawing FIGURES, it is preferred that the side walls 12c, 14c of the drum segments be provided with circumferential band-receiving channels 12f, 14f (see FIG. 6) which receive a suitable restraining band 16 (see FIG. 1) therein. The restraining bands 16 thereby serve to prevent relative longitudinal slippage between the drum segments 12 and 14 and may be used regardless of the particular configuration of the tongue 12e and groove 14e so as to improve the structural integrity of the drum 10 when the drum segments 12, 14 are united to one another. 
     The closely adjacent planar inner wall sections 12d, 14d will establish a diametrical parting plane P (which is shown normal to the plane of FIG. 5) when the tongue 12e and groove 14e are united with one another. According to the present invention, the hemicylindrical wall sections 12c and 14c will each be provided with two sets of longitudinally spaced-apart roll stops 12g, 12h and 14g, 14h, respectively. In this regard, each of the roll stops 12g is circumferentially opposite to a respective one of roll stops 14g while each of the roll stops 12h is circumferentially opposite to a respective one of the roll stops 14h. As a result, upper and lower circumferentially paired roll stops 12g/14g and 12h/14h are provided asymmetrically straddling the diametrical parting plane P when the drum segments 12 and 14 are united with one another to form the overall cylindrical drum 10. Preferably, each of the roll stops 12g, 12h and 14 g, 14h will define a convexly arcuate (e.g., hemispherical) surface. 
     The upper end panels 12a and 14a are each provided with respective bungholes 12i, 14i (see FIG. 8) and caps 12j, 14j, respectively. The bungholes 12i, 14i thus provide access to the interior compartments 12k, 14k (see FIG. 7) of the segments 12, 14, respectively, so that the compartments 12k, 14k may be filled with a respective volume of dissimilar pourable material, and to allow a respective dissimilar pourable material contained therein to be dispensed when desired. 
     As noted in the accompanying drawing FIGURES, the asymmetrical orientation of the circumferentially paired roll stops 12g/14g and 12h/14h and the placement of the bungholes 12i and 14i near the paired roll stops 12g/14g and 12h/14h, respectively, allows the bungholes 12i and 14i to be vertically oriented with one another when the drum 10 is turned on its side and rests upon the paired roll stops 12g/14g or 12h/14h. Therefore, when the drum 10 rests upon a surface S using the set of paired roll stops 12g/14g as shown in FIG. 8, for example, the vertical orientation of the bungholes 12i and 14i may be reversed by simply rolling the drum 10 along its circumferential side surface (arrow A 1  in FIG. 8) until it translates a distance (arrow A 2  in FIG. 8) which is substantially equivalent one-half the circumferential dimension of drum 10, and rests upon the other set of paired roll stops 12h/14h. As such, the respective contents within the compartments 12k and 14k may be dispensed separately from the drum 10 through bungholes 12i and 14i, respectively. 
     While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.