Patent Publication Number: US-2011073532-A1

Title: Mechanized Screener

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention claims priority of Iranian patent application number 388050690, Iranian patent number 60599, filed on Aug. 16, 2009, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject matter described herein relates to a mechanized screener for separating soil from rocks. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Screeners are used to separate soil from gravel and come in different dimensions and sizes. In use, a bucket loader or mechanical excavator typically feeds mixed soil and gravel to an independent screener. The screener separates the large gravel that has not passed through the screen from the soil that has passed through the screen. In this manner, the large gravel that gathers on top of the screener must be gathered and removed, while the soil below the screener must also be gathered and removed. 
     Typically, the loader or excavator makes several trips back and forth from the screener. Delivering the mixed soil and gravel requires a number of trips, while removing the filtered soil and gravel also requires additional trips. 
     This method of filtering soil from large gravel requires a great deal of fuel consumption on the part of the loaders and excavators, it increases the wear and tear that the loaders and excavators are exposed to, and it requires a great deal of time to finish the process of filtering soil from gravel. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to the embodiments of the present invention, a mechanized screener is provided that separates soil from rocks. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, wire mesh is installed on a bucket loader. As the gravel and soil is loaded into the bucket loader, the wire mesh filters the soil from the gravel where the bucket excavator is situated. By accomplishing the filtering where the bucket excavator is situated, there is no need to go back and forth between the excavation site and the location of the screener. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments, and together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the invention. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a top view of a wire mesh in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a conceptual side view of the mechanized screener in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a conceptual side view of the mechanized screener in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a conceptual side view of the mechanized screener in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments are described herein in the context of a mechanized screener. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following detailed description is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Reference will now be made in detail to implementations of embodiments of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference indicators will be used throughout the drawings and the following detailed description to refer to the same or like parts. 
     Embodiments of the mechanized screener have been designed in such a way that it can be installed on a bucket loader or a mechanical excavator. The mechanized screener does the separating function in the desired location where the bucket excavator is situated. The use of this screener reduces the number of trips for moving the soil, as it completes the soil screening with one load of the soil. Reduced fuel consumption is achieved with the use of the mechanized screener and there will be considerably less wear and tear and work time involved. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , wire mesh  100  is illustrated. Wire mesh  100  is capable of separating large gravel from soil. In certain embodiments, wire mesh  100  can have a thickness of 1 to 10 centimeters depending on the job requirements. It is to be understood that wire mesh  100  can have an increased thickness and still fall within the scope of this invention. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , three panels of wire mesh  100  have been installed into bucket  202  of mechanized screener  200 . In this embodiment, mechanized screener  200  can further be seen as including steel blade  204 , leg  206 , arm handle  208  and jack  210 . 
     In this embodiment, the three panels of wire mesh  100  can be seen as forming a U-shaped enclosure within bucket  202 . In this embodiment, steel blade  204  has been installed at the end of wire mesh  100 . Steel blade  204  allows the end of the bucket to scoop up gravel and soil. In this embodiment, leg  206  can further be seen as securing the wire mesh  100  to bucket  202 . While it is not illustrated, bucket  202  can be installed in a tractor or other road construction machinery. In an embodiment, bucket  202  can be installed into road construction machinery using attachment bar  300  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , mechanized screener  200  can be seen as filtering gravel  400  from soil  402 . Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 4 , jack  210  has pulled arm handle  208  down, thereby causing bucket  202  to lift off the ground. In this configuration, gravel  400  is trapped within the enclosure formed by the three panels of wire mesh  100  while soil  402  filters down to the ground. Once all of the soil has been filtered out, gravel  400  can be delivered to the desired site. 
     The use of this screener reduces the number of trips needed for moving the gravel and soil, as it completes the soil screening with one loading of gravel and soil. 
     As would be readily apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art, embodiments of mechanized screener  200  would likely include one or more of the following components: jack, 
     In an embodiment, different types of wire mesh  100  can easily be removably installed into bucket  202 . In an embodiment, this may be accomplished by screwing and unscrewing the screen to bucket  202 . In this manner, the screens used within mechanized screener  200  are readily interchangeable. 
     It is to be understood that mechanized screener  200  can be manufactured with different dimensions and in various forms for installation on different loaders and mechanical excavators. 
     The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the present invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modification that are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims and their equivalents.