Patent ID: 7930947

Claim:
An apparatus for piercing a drum plug of a drum, comprising: a frame configured for engagement with a drum; a cylinder mounted to said frame, said cylinder configured for actuation by a fluid; a collection tube surrounding at least portion of a piercer when said cylinder is in an unactuated state, said collection tube defining an interior, a collection tube port, and an opening on one end, said collection tube port being in fluid communication with said opening through said interior, said piercer further defining a slot on an exterior surface of said piercer such that said slot is in fluid communication with said interior of said collection tube, wherein said piercer has a solid center, and wherein said exterior surface onto which said slot is defined directly faces an interior wall of said collection tube when said cylinder is in the unactuated state; said piercer in communication with said cylinder such that actuation of said cylinder causes said piercer to move in a linear direction, wherein said piercer is configured for puncturing the drum plug of the drum; a collection line port attached to said collection tube and in fluid communication with said interior through said collection tube port, wherein the position of said collection line port remains stationary with respect to said collection tube and the drum plug during movement of said piercer in the linear direction when puncturing the drum plug of the drum, wherein contents of the drum are moved through the collection line port; and a collection line attached to said collection tube by way of said collection line port, wherein the position of said collection line remains stationary with respect to said collection tube and the drum plug during movement of said piercer through the drum plug of the drum, and wherein contents of the drum are moved through the collection tube.