Abstract:
A gold dry washer comprised of a stand assembly and a trough assembly. The trough assembly is angled from an upper end with a hopper for raw soil to a lower end where denser gold is collected. Along the declining path of the trough are a series of graduating apertures that successively isolate the denser materials in the soil and allow waste to fall overboard. The stand assembly includes a motor or other gentle agitation means to encourage the dry soil to move with the aid of gravity towards the lower end of the trough where the heavier gold may be collected.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to mining, and more particularly, to sorting and separating components of soil. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Several designs for gold and mineral isolation devices have been designed in the past. None of them, however, includes the ability to efficiently sort soils without the need of water and can be done in a man portable machine while using, in some versions, a minimal amount of electrical or kinetic energy. 
     Historically, miners and prospectors could pan in a stream or in other soils in an attempt to find and collect gold and other earth borne materials. Panning is largely a manual endeavor using large, shallow pans that are submerged with soil and shaken to sort out the heavier gold grains from other less dense earthen materials. 
     More efficient means of isolating the gold, such as sluicing, have been used on small to medium scale. Although these techniques can be done by an individual, they still require copious amounts of water. The sluice process employs directing water and soil to flow through a man-made channel that captures the heavier gold and allows the alluvium or other non-gold bearing soil to wash away. 
     Sluicing can be highly damaging to the environment including the natural topography that is destroyed as well as contaminating the water and soils with runoff and surplus from the procedure. Historically, significant damage was caused in many fragile environments that have yet to recover. 
     More commercialized and modern techniques include underground mines and underwater dredging. These too produce risk to the environment on a grand scale as well as dangers to the human workers on those projects. Further, these methods are generally beyond the scope of resources and ability of an individual prospector or micro-mining operator for fun and profit. 
     Other patents, publications and historical records describe these and other methods of mining in detail. All of this related subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated and costly aspects and features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient, environmentally conscious and economical way. None of these teachings suggest the novel features of the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is one of the main objects of the present invention to provide an effective and efficient gold dry mining apparatus and technique. 
     An important object of the device is to provide a device that uses no water to isolate gold from earth materials. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide an environmentally friendly and user friendly way for separating gold or other materials from dry soils. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide, in at least one version of the device, a man portable device that can be carried to a remote mining site and then can be operated with minimal energy input requirements. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a device that is inexpensive to manufacture and maintain while retaining its effectiveness. 
     Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       With the above and other related objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  represents a perspective view of a version of a gold dry washer. 
         FIG. 2  shows an alternate perspective view a gold dry washer similar to that shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an elevation view of a low side of a version of a gold dry washer. 
         FIG. 4  is a representation of an elevation view of a high side of a version of a gold dry washer. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an iteration of a trough assembly isolated from other elements of the device. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a stand assembly separated from a trough assembly. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a representative cup. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The subject device and method of use is sometimes referred to as the device, the invention, the dry gold washer or other similar terms. These terms may be used interchangeably as context requires and from use the intent becomes apparent. The masculine can sometimes refer to the feminine and neuter and vice versa. The plural may include the singular and singular the plural as appropriate from a fair and reasonable interpretation in the situation. 
     Specific dimensions, proportions, ratios and the like should not be extrapolated from the drawings. Some elements are stylized or otherwise emphasized to more clearly show a particular aspect of the invention or to point out an intended characteristic. 
     Referring now to the drawings, where the present invention is generally referred to with numeral  10 , it can be observed that it basically includes, among other aspects, a stand assembly  12 , a trough assembly  14 , a hopper  16 , a trough  18 , a slot  20 , a slot  22 , a slot  24 , a slot  26 , a cup  28 , an arm  30 , a wheel  32 , a bracket  34 , a wheel  36 , a spring  38 , a beam  40 , legs  42 , legs  44 , a bracket  46 , a rod  48 , a motor  50 , a crank  52 , a bearing  53 , a wheel.  54 , an arm  56 , a hinge  58 , a wheel  60 , a wheel  62 , an arm  64 , a baffle  66 , a spill  68 , a cup  70  and a groove  74 . 
     In a version of the device shown generally in the figures, there are two primary sub-assemblies: the stand assembly  12  and the trough assembly  14 . There are several optional components and several superfluous components that are shown or alternatively described herein that may be included or omitted and yet remain within the inventive concept and spirit. 
     In a highly portable version of the gold dry washer the stand assembly  12  shown in  FIG. 6  is easily separable from the trough assembly  14  shown in  FIG. 5 . By separating these two primary assemblies the device may be more easily transported by an individual to a remote mining site for use. 
     In typical operation of the device, the stand assembly  12  is erected on or near the mining site. The trough assembly  14  is then attached to the stand assembly  12 . The hopper  16  end of the trough assembly  12  is ideally higher in elevation than the cup  28  end. This can be achieved by placing the stand assembly  12  on a level surface because legs  42  are shorter than legs  44 . 
     In at least one embodiment of the device the legs  42  and legs  44  are adjustable in length independently of each other. Preferably there is a downward slope of the trough  18  from the higher end with the hopper  16  to the lower end with the cup  28 . 
     Further during typical operation, the beam  40  is generally parallel to the bottom of the trough  18 . This is not required for operation of the device but has been shown to be particularly efficient and effective design for some applications of the device. 
     Looking specifically at  FIG. 3  where the lower end of the device is shown, the cup  28  has been omitted for clarity. In normal operation the cup  28  or similarly performing apparatus should be present as a collection point for the isolated gold. The legs  42  are also shown truncated on a bottom side. 
     Still looking at  FIG. 3 , the lower end of the trough  18  rests on the wheel  36  and wheel  60 . Wheel  32  is operably connected to bracket  34  and is held onto the upper surface of the trough  18 . The spring  38  biases the bracket  34  and thus the wheel  32  against the trough  18 . A hinge  58  is optionally provided integral to the bracket  34 . 
     To facilitate attaching the trough assembly  14  to the frame assembly  12  at the lower end of the trough  18 , the spring  38  can be temporarily detached there by allowing the bracket  34  to articulate about the hinge  58  to essentially open the bracket  34 . Opening the bracket  34  also moves the wheel  32  out of contact from the trough  18  so that the trough assembly  14  can be readily installed. 
     Yet referring to  FIG. 3 , the lower end of the trough  18  rests on wheel  36  on one side and wheel  60  on the other side. When in operation, wheel  32  acts to hold the trough  18  against wheel  36  and wheel  60  yet permit each of wheel  32 , wheel  60  and wheel  32  to roll against the trough  18 . Each of the wheel  32 , wheel  60  and wheel  32  work in concert to permit movement of the trough assembly  14  longitudinally and parallel to the beam  40 . 
       FIG. 4  is a plan view of the opposite end of the trough assembly  14 , also referred to as the higher (or upper) end or side. Again, the legs  44  are truncated in this view. The hopper  16  is shown to be affixed to the higher end of the trough  18 . The sides of the hopper  16  are supported by wheel  62  one side and by wheel  54  on the opposing side. 
     As most clear when reading  FIG. 4  in light of  FIG. 6 , the wheel  62  is operatively connected to the arm  64  that is in turn affixed to the legs  44 . Likewise, the wheel  54  is operatively connected to arm  56  that is affixed to the opposing side of the legs  44 . 
     When the device is in operation the wheel  36  and wheel  60  on the lower end of the frame assembly work in concert with the wheel  62  and wheel  54  on the upper end of the frame assembly to permit bidirectional longitudinal movement of the trough assembly along a line substantially parallel to the beam  40  and parallel to the longer dimension of the trough  18  itself. 
     A motor  50  is attached to the frame assembly  12  near the upper end and near the hopper  16 . The motor  50  has a crank  52  attached to the drive shaft of the motor  50 . The crank  52  is connected to a bracket  46  integral to the trough assembly  14  at a bearing  53  by a rod  48 . The rod  48  transfers energy from the motor  50  on the frame assembly  12  to the trough assembly  14 . Because the crank  52  is offset from the shaft of the motor  50  the rod  48  substantially reciprocates and therefore the trough assembly  14  to which the rod  48  is connected also reciprocates. 
     The length of the reciprocation travel is approximately twice the length of the crank  52 . For each rotation of the motor  50  and attached crank  52  the trough assembly  14  longitudinally reciprocates one full back and forth motion cycle. The bearing  53  allows the rod.  48  to travel along its revolving path and to smoothly and efficiently transfer its power from the motor to the trough assembly  14 . The bearing  53  may be integral to the lower end of the rod  48 . 
     The trough  18 , in an important iteration of the device, is essentially an angled, rigid channel. The bottom inside surface of the trough  18  is generally angular and is continuous from the higher end of the trough  18  to the lower end of the trough  18 . The end of the trough  18  at the hopper  16  end of the trough assembly  14  is higher than at the cup  28  end of the trough assembly  14 . The angle of the angular bottom of the trough  18  could be between about thirty degrees and one hundred sixty degrees. The angle of the angular bottom can depend on the dimensions of the slots, length of the trough, material being sorted and other factors that affect the other dimensions described herein. 
       FIG. 5  shows a version of the trough  18  to include a series of progressively dimensioned apertures that are larger at a lower end of the trough  18  and smaller at an upper end of the trough  18 . These apertures are identified as slot  20  on the smaller, upper end to slot  26  which is the largest on the lower end of the trough  18 . 
     Slot  20  is the narrowest of the slots on the trough  18  and in at least one version of the device is the shortest slot. Slot  20  is also further away from the angular bottom of the trough  18 . The next lower slot  22  represented in  FIG. 5  is slightly wider and longer than slot  20 . Slot  22  is also closer to the angular bottom of the trough  18 . Slot  24  is longer, wider and closer to the angular bottom of the trough than slot  22 . In this four slot configuration, slot  26  is wider, longer and closer to the angular bottom of the trough  18  than slot  24 . 
     Even though the figures admit to four slots  20 - 26 , there may be fewer or more slots depending on the nature of the soil that is sorted by the device. Testing has indicated that as few as two slots and as many as a dozen slots can be effective. 
     The bottom of the hopper  16  is open to the upper edge of the trough  18 . When soil is introduced into the hopper  16  gravity draws the soil into the top end of the trough  18  under the hopper  16 . With the motor  50  operating, the trough assembly  14  gently reciprocates along the axis of the trough  18 . Because the end of the trough  18  opposite the hopper  16  is lower, soil from the hopper  16  gradually flows down the trough  18  towards the low end of the trough  18 . 
     The reciprocating motion of the trough  18  gently agitates the soil and encourages the soil to continue on its downhill path towards the lower end of the trough assembly  14 . The agitation also causes heavier, denser particles in the soil, such as gold, migrate toward the angular bottom of the trough  18 . The less dense materials in the soil mixture essentially float over the denser gold. 
     As the yet unseparated soil traverses down the trough  18  from the hopper  16  it passes first the slot  20  where the lightest parts of the soil are allowed to overflow the trough  18  through the slot  20  where that fraction of the soil falls to the ground beneath the device. The fallen soil is the discard and of little value. 
     As the soil progresses towards and past the second slot  20  the denser gold falls closer to the bottom angle of the trough and more of the less dense waste fall through the slot  22  to the ground beneath the machine where it remains. The larger and deeper next slot  24  along the soil&#39;s path removes more and less dense soils from the trough  18 . 
     As the soil passes the largest and deepest slot  26  the majority of the soil that passed through the hopper  16  has fallen waste off of the trough  18  through the slots  20 ,  22  and  24 . Any soil that makes it through the trough  18  and past the slot  26  is the densest fraction of the original soil in the hopper  16 . Hopefully, this remaining portion will contain some nuggets of gold as it falls into the cup  28 . 
       FIG. 7  shows a version of the cup in more detail. The cup  28  is held under the low end of the trough  18  to catch the densest fraction of soil by an arm  30 . The densest soil falls into the bottom  72  of the main cup  70 . The cup  28  is connected to the trough assembly  14  so it gently moves with the trough assembly  14  and is softly agitated along with its densest soil contents. 
     As the cup  70  begins to fill after the machine has sorted sufficient soil the soft agitation with the aid of gravity further drops the most likely gold bearing fraction to the bottom  72  of the cup  70 . Because it is likely that the densest fraction in the cup  70  will have gold as well as other minerals and particles, these are allowed to overflow over the baffle  66  where they can spill wasted onto the ground. 
     In operation in rich gold bearing soil conditions the machine might be able to continuously run for hours or longer. Occasionally the operator will need to introduce fresh, unsorted soil into the hopper  16 . This method is more of a continual sorter than a batch sorter because it can continuously run, essentially indefinitely. 
     A groove  74  is shown in  FIG. 3  to be centered about wheel  32  leaves a gap between the trough  18  and the wheel  32 . This allows the then greatly reduced trail of sorted soil traveling down the path to continue down the inside corner of the trough  18  towards the cup  28 . Yet the wheel  32  is still able to hold the low end of the trough  18  in line and against the wheel  36  and wheel  60 . 
     The motor  50  can be comprised of a common wound electrical motor powered by a battery, solar cell or other electrical source. Alternatively, the action otherwise provided by the motor could be supplied by other means such as a hand crank, wind or water turbine or other manually derived source of kinetic energy. 
     The machine can operate effectively in dry soils, such as sand, loam, gravel and other materials. In some versions, if water were to be introduced to the process or the soil introduced to the hopper was moist then the sorting could be hindered because the soil could not easily flow against itself during the sorting by density down the path of the trough  18  from the upper to the lower end. 
     The dimensions of the trough  18 , slots  18 ,  20 ,  22  and  24  are dependent on a plurality of factors such as the portability of the complete device, the grain size and density of the soil, the volume of soil to be processed by the machine, humidity, efficiency of the sort and angle of the trough  18 . 
     Generally, an effective man portable design could have a trough  18  between a half meter and a several meters long. The slots could range from a few millimeters to a few centimeters in height and a few centimeters to a meter long. These are just basic guidelines that fall well within the scope of the broader invention. Far larger commercial and stationary versions of the machine could be longer with more and/or larger slots. Similarly, the angle of declination of the trough  18  can be minimal at a one degree to more than forty-five degrees of decline. 
     Adjustable legs on the stand assembly  12  can aid in the user fine tuning the efficacy of the device once on site and during initial calibration or test batches. 
     The trough  18  could be divided in to several smaller sub-assemblies to improve its portability and storage space needed. Many of the components could be made from a rigid, durable and resilient material such as metals, alloys, plastics, fiberglass or other similar materials. The wheels may be preferably a more supple material such as rubber or plastic, but not necessarily so to be effective. 
     The wheels,  54 ,  62 ,  36  and  60  can also be characterized, as roller supports when used in unison. An important version of the gold dry washer can be fairly described as being comprised, among other features, a stand assembly  12  and a trough assembly  14 . The stand assembly  12  at a first end has a first ground contacting leg  44  and first roller support  54 ,  62  above the first end. The stand assembly  12  at a second end has a second ground contacting leg  42  and a second roller support  36 ,  60  above the second end. The first end of the stand assembly is connected to the second end of the stand assembly by a beam  40 . The leg  44  on the first end of the stand assembly  12  is longer than the leg  42  on the second end of the stand assembly  12  so that there is a predetermined angle of declination between the first roller support  54 ,  62  and the second roller support  36 ,  60 . The trough assembly  14  is comprised of a trough  18  having a hopper  16  at a first end and cup  28  at a second end. The trough  18  has an interior angular bottom along its an entire length along which the soil being sorted travels. The length of the trough  18  is at least as long as a distance between the first roller support  54 ,  62  and the second roller support  36 ,  60 . The trough  18  on a first end rests on the first roller support  54 ,  62  and on a second end on the second roller support  36 ,  60 . The trough has a series of apertures  20 ,  22 ,  24  and  26 , for example but other configurations or numbers of apertures (sometimes also equivalently referred to as slots because the apertures may be slot-like in appearance), along each side of the angular bottom along the length of the trough  18  that between the first end and second end of the trough graduate from smaller on to larger and becoming closer to the angular bottom of the trough  18 . A reciprocating means interconnects the trough assembly  14  to the stand assembly  12  operatively so that the trough assembly reciprocates a predetermined range relative to the stand assembly  12 . An example of a reciprocating means can be the combination of the motor  50 , rod  48 , crank  52 , bracket  46  and bearing  53 . The hopper  16  is in communication with and gravity feeds a soil to the first end of the trough. 
     Options can include that the reciprocating means is any of an electric motor, a wind turbine, a water turbine, human hand crank or animal movement that causes the trough assembly  14  to reciprocate gently relative to the stand assembly  12 . The angle of declination is between one and forty-five degrees relative to the horizontal so that material fed into the hopper  16  can travel toward the lower end of the trough assembly  14  during operation of the device. 
     The foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objectives and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.