U.S. patent application number 11/780978 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-24 for bag lifting and emptying system.
This patent application is currently assigned to University of Southern California. Invention is credited to Behrokh Khoshnevis.
Application Number | 20080017663 11/780978 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38957405 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080017663 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Khoshnevis; Behrokh |
January 24, 2008 |
Bag Lifting and Emptying System
Abstract
A bag lifting and emptying system may include a rupture
mechanism for the bag, an attachment mechanism for the bag, and a
hoist connectable to the attachment mechanism. The rupture
mechanism may be configured to rupture a bottom portion of the bag,
when the bag is lowered onto the rupture mechanism, so as to cause
the contents of the bag to be transferred from the bag into a
receptacle. The attachment mechanism may be configured to
releasably attach to the bag. The hoist may be configured to lift
the bag and subsequently lower the bag onto the rupture
mechanism.
Inventors: |
Khoshnevis; Behrokh; (Marina
del Rey, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
McDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP
Suite 3800
2049 Century Park East
Los Angeles
CA
90067
US
|
Assignee: |
University of Southern
California
|
Family ID: |
38957405 |
Appl. No.: |
11/780978 |
Filed: |
July 20, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60807867 |
Jul 20, 2006 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
222/1 ;
222/81 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B28C 7/064 20130101;
B66F 9/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/001 ;
222/081 |
International
Class: |
B65B 37/02 20060101
B65B037/02 |
Claims
1. A bag lifting and emptying system, comprising: a rupture
mechanism configured to rupture a bottom portion of a bag when the
bag is lowered onto the rupture mechanism, so as to cause the bag's
contents to be transferred from the bag; an attachment mechanism
configured to releasably attach to the bag; and a hoist connectable
to the attachment mechanism, the hoist configured to lift the bag
and subsequently lower the bag onto the rupture mechanism.
2. The bag lifting and emptying system of claim 1, wherein the
rupture mechanism comprises one or more blades, each blade
terminating in a pointed vertex; and wherein the blades are
positioned substantially vertically, so that the pointed vertices
of the blades are directed substantially upward so as to rupture
the bag when the bag is lowered onto them.
3. The bag lifting and emptying system of claim 2, further
comprising a lateral actuator attached to the blades, the lateral
actuator configured to move the blades laterally after the blades
have pierced the bag so as to increase tear made by the blades in
the bag.
4. The bag lifting and emptying system of claim 1, wherein the
attachment mechanism includes a spear configured to pierce through
a top portion of the bag and be inserted therethrough, so as to
cause the bag to be lifted when an upward force is applied to the
spear and lowered when the upward force is removed; and wherein the
hoist includes a cable connectable to the spear and configured to
transmit to the bag the upward force.
5. The bag lifting and emptying system of claim 4, wherein the
attachment mechanism further includes: a horizontal rod attachable
to the cable of the hoist; at least one tension spring extending
vertically between the spear and the rod, a first end of the spring
attachable to the spear and a second end of the spring attachable
to the rod; and wherein the spring is configured to absorb at least
some of the upward force so as to substantially prevent tearing of
the bag by a sudden lift action of the hoist.
6. The bag lifting and emptying system of claim 4, wherein the
cable comprises an electric cable; and wherein the hoist comprises
at least one of: a manually operated hoist; and an electrically
controlled hoist.
7. The bag lifting and emptying system of claim 1, further
comprising a pendent operable to implement a lifting and a lowering
operation of the hoist; and wherein the pendent includes at least
one of: an up-down control knob operable to control the lifting and
lowering operation of the hoist; and a speed control know operable
to control a speed of the lifting and lowering operation of the
hoist.
8. The bag lifting and emptying system of claim 1, further
comprising a dust enclosure configured to seal an area onto which
the bag's contents are transferred, thereby substantially
preventing dust from escaping while the contents of the bag are
being transferred from the bag.
9. The bag lifting and emptying system of claim 8, wherein the dust
enclosure includes a sealable opening through which the bag can be
inserted into the dust enclosure.
10. The bag lifting and emptying system of claim 2, wherein at
least some of the blades are substantially triangular in shape.
11. A bag lifting and lowering system, comprising: an attachment
mechanism for a bag, the attachment mechanism including a spear
configured to pierce through a top portion of the bag and be
inserted therethrough, so as to cause the bag to be lifted when an
upward force is applied to the spear and lowered when the upward
force is removed; and a hoist connectable to the spear, the hoist
configured to lift and lower the bag as a result of lifting and
lowering the spear.
12. The bag lifting and lowering system of claim 11, wherein the
hoist includes a cable connectable to the attachment mechanism and
configured to transmit to the bag the upward force.
13. The bag lifting and lowering system of claim 11, wherein the
hoist comprises a manually operated hoist; and wherein the manually
operated hoist includes at least one of: a rope and pulley
combination; a rope, wheel, and drum combination; and a ratchet
mechanism.
14. The bag lifting and lowering system of claim 11, wherein the
hoist comprises an electrically controlled hoist; and wherein the
cable comprises an electric cable.
15. The bag lifting and lowering system of claim 11, wherein the
attachment mechanism further includes: a horizontal rod attachable
to the cable of the hoist; at least one spring extending between
the spear and the rod, a first end of the spring attachable to the
spear and a second end of the spring attachable to the rod; and
wherein the spring is configured to absorb at least some of the
upward force so as to substantially prevent tearing of the bag by a
sudden lift action of the hoist.
16. The bag lifting and lowering system of claim 11, wherein the
spear has a first end and a second end, each end having a pointed
conical tip that facilitates piercing of the spear through the top
portion of the bag; and wherein the at least one spring comprises a
first spring and a second spring, the first spring connected to the
spear near the first end of the spear and a second spring connected
near the second end of the spear.
17. A bag emptying system, comprising: a bag rupturing mechanism
for rupturing a bag so as to cause its contents to spill out of the
bag; and a dust enclosure configured to substantially prevent dust
from escaping while the bag's contents are spilling out of the bag,
the dust enclosure including a sealable opening through which the
bag can be inserted into the dust enclosure.
18. The bag emptying system of claim 17, wherein the sealable
opening of the dust enclosure comprises at least one of: a closable
shoot; and one or more collapsible flaps.
19. A method of lifting and emptying a bag containing a material,
the method comprising: piercing a portion of the bag with a spear
so as to attach the bag to a hoist; operating the hoist so as to
lift the bag, then to lower the bag onto a rupture mechanism within
a container; and rupturing the bag so as to allow its contents to
be transferred into the container.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based upon, and claims the benefit of
priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) from, U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 60/807,867, filed on Jul. 20, 2006,
entitled "Lifting And Emptying System For Bagged Materials,"
attorney docket no. 28080-212. The content of this provisional
application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as
though fully set forth.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] This work was funded in part by ONR Grant No.
N00014-05-1-0850.
BACKGROUND
[0003] A number of applications require that bags of heavy
material, such as concrete by way of example, be lifted, and their
contents emptied into a container such as the hopper of a mixer.
Commercially available mixers, produced by different manufacturers,
generally require manual lifting and emptying of bags of
material.
[0004] Systems and methods that can eliminate the laborious task of
manually lifting the heavy bags (which usually may be over 50
pounds) would be desirable.
SUMMARY
[0005] A bag lifting and emptying system may include a rupture
mechanism for the bag, an attachment mechanism for the bag, and a
hoist connectable to the attachment mechanism. The rupture
mechanism may be configured to rupture a bottom portion of the bag,
when the bag is lowered onto the rupture mechanism, so as to cause
the contents of the bag to be transferred from the bag into a
receptacle. The attachment mechanism may be configured to
releasably attach to the bag. The hoist may be configured to lift
the bag and subsequently lower the bag onto the rupture
mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1F illustrate a bag lifting
and emptying system, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0007] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate in more detail an attachment
mechanism for a bag, in a bag lifting and emptying system in
accordance with the present disclosure.
[0008] FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D illustrate in more detail a bag
rupture mechanism, in a bag lifting and emptying system in
accordance with the present disclosure.
[0009] FIG. 4A illustrates a pendent control for a hoist, in a bag
lifting and emptying system in accordance with one embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 4B illustrates an operator using a pendent to control
the operation of a hoist.
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a bag lifting and
emptying system that includes a dust enclosure.
[0012] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an alternate embodiment of a bag
lifting and emptying system, in which the bag is made to enter the
hopper from the top.
[0013] FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D provide actual three-dimensional
views of a bag lifting and emptying system in operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] Systems and methods are described for lifting bags of
materials, such as concrete, and emptying them into a container.
The systems and methods described below are applicable to a large
number of scenarios, including but not limited to building
construction.
[0015] FIGS. 1A-1F illustrate a bag lifting and emptying system
100, during various stages of lifting and lowering a bag 105, and
emptying the bag of its contents. The bag lifting and emptying
system 100 may include an attachment mechanism 110 that can
releasably attach to the bag 105; a rupture mechanism 120; and a
hoist 130. The rupture mechanism 120, shown in FIG. 1E, may be
configured to rupture the bottom portion of the bag 105 when the
bag 105 is lowered thereon, causing the contents of the bag to
spill out of the bag. In the illustrated embodiment, the hoist 130
may be connectable to the attachment mechanism 110, for example by
a cable 135, and may be configured to lift the bag 105, then lower
the bag 105 into a hopper 137 and onto the rupture mechanism 120
which tears open the bag 105 so that the material inside the bag
105 is transferred from the bag into the hopper.
[0016] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate the lifting action of the hoist
130. After elevating the bag 105, and once the bag 105 passes a
certain elevation point, an inlet 136 to the hopper 136 may be
opened, for example manually. The bag 105 may then be lowered into
the hopper 137 through the inlet 136. FIG. 5C illustrates the bag
105 approaching the open inlet 136 of the hopper 137, while FIG. 1D
illustrates the bag 105 entering the inlet 136. As the bag 105 is
further lowered into the hopper 137, its lower part may be ruptured
by the rupture mechanism 120 (described further below), so that the
material inside the bag 105 is transferred into the hopper 137.
[0017] FIG. 1E illustrates the rupture mechanism 120 onto which the
bag 105 is lowered, after entering through the inlet 136 of the
hopper 136. As seen in FIG. 1E, the rupture mechanism 120 may
include a triangular blade 121 that ruptures the bag 105, as
further described in conjunction with FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C. Once
the bag 105 is emptied of its contents, the empty bag 105 may be
elevated once more by the hoist 130 and removed, after which the
hoist 130 may be lowered so that it immediately attaches to, and
lifts, the next bag.
[0018] FIG. 1F illustrates the hoist 130 as being comprised of two
separate modules, 130-a and 130-b. These modules are easily
transportable and may be place on top of mixer equipment. The hoist
130 may be an electrically (i.e. automatically) controlled hoist,
with an electric cable 135, as in the above embodiments illustrated
in FIGS. 1A-1F. The electrically controlled, motorized hoist 130
may be powered by a regular power network (e.g., 110V), or may be
powered by a rechargeable battery.
[0019] Alternatively, the hoist 130 may be a manually controlled
hoist. Such a manually controlled hoist may include a rope and
pulley combination. An operator using such a manually controlled
hoist may pull downward, by hand, the rope that is positioned over
a pulley on top, the pulley substituting for motorization for the
hoist. In a different embodiment, the manually controlled hoist may
include a rope, wheel and drum combination. In this combination,
the operator may turn the wheel that winds the rope around the
drum. In a manually controlled hoist, a ratchet mechanism may be
used to prevent reverse motion. The latch of the ratchet mechanism
may be released after emptying the lifted bag.
[0020] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate in more detail an exemplary
attachment mechanism 200 that attaches to or grasps a bag 205 and
permits the bag 205 to be lifted and lowered by a hoist in a bag
lifting and emptying system described above, in accordance with one
embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B,
the attachment mechanism 200 may include a spear 210, i.e. a
straight rod with sharp conical tips 212 and 214 at its ends. The
spear 210 may be configured to pierce through a top portion of a
bag 205 and be inserted therethrough, so as to cause the bag 205 to
be lifted when an upward force is applied to the spear 210, and
lowered when the upward force is removed. The sharp conical tips
212 and 214 can easily pierce holes on the bag 205 and be inserted
into the top section of the bag 205. The two open ends of the spear
210 may provide reliable lifting points to be connected to an
electric cable hoist such as the hoist 130 shown in FIGS. 1A-1E. A
cable 220 may connect the spear 210 to the hoist 130, and transmits
the upward force to the bag 205.
[0021] To prevent tearing the bag 205 by a sudden lift action of
the hoist, one or more springs may be used, as shown in FIGS. 2A
and 2B. In the illustrated embodiments, two springs 240-a and 240-b
are shown as being used, together with another horizontal rod 245,
separate from the spear 210. While one spring may be used at the
end of the cable 220, the use of two springs may shorten the
overall height of the attachment mechanism 200 or bag grasping
module. The springs 240-a and 240-b may extend vertically between
the spear 210 and the rod 245. One end of each spring may be
attached to the spear, and the remaining end of each spring may be
attached to the rod 245. The springs 240-a and 240-b may provide
tensioning, i.e. may be configured to absorb at least some of the
upward force transmitted from the hoist 130 to the bag 205 through
the cable 220, so as to substantially prevent tearing of the bag
205 by a sudden lift action of the hoist.
[0022] FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D illustrate in more detail an
exemplary rupture mechanism 300 for a bag 305, in accordance with
one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 3A and
3B, the rupture mechanism 300 may include one or more blades 310
that terminate in a pointed vertex. While only one blade is shown
in FIGS. 3A-3D, there may be a plurality of blades in other
embodiments of the present disclosure. The blade 310 may have a
substantially triangular shape. The blades may be positioned
substantially vertically, i.e. with their vertices directed
substantially upward, so as to rupture the bag 305 when the bag 305
is lowered onto them.
[0023] FIG. 3C illustrates an embodiment in which the blade 310 is
attached to a lateral actuator 320. The lateral actuator 320 may
move the blade 310 laterally after the blade 310 has pierced the
bag 305, thus increasing the tear that they make on the bottom of
the bag 305. In turn, this may increase the speed at which the
bag's contents are emptied and may ensure that the bag's contents
are completely removed. The lateral actuator 320 may be manually
operated or automatically operated. The lateral actuator 320 may
include a handle 322, which may be moved reciprocally, manually by
hand or automatically by a motor, to facilitate the opening of
hard-to-cut bags. FIG. 3D is an actual three-dimensional view of a
bag rupture mechanism described above.
[0024] FIG. 4A illustrates a pendent control 400 for an
electrically controlled hoist, in a bag lifting and emptying system
in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The
control of the lifting and lowering operation for the bag may be
performed by a pendent, which may be any one of many types of
pendents typically offered with commercial electric hoists. The
pendents may have up-down and possibly speed control buttons and
knobs. FIG. 4B illustrates an operator using the pendent 400 to
control the lifting and lowering of bags of material.
[0025] In one embodiment, the bag lifting and emptying system
described in the present disclosure may include a dust enclosure
for substantially preventing or minimizing the escape of dust while
the material contained within the bag is being transferred onto the
hopper. FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a bag lifting an
emptying system 500 that includes a dust enclosure 510 that is
configured to prevent dust from escaping while the bag's contents
are spilling out of the bag. The dust enclosure 510 may seal the
area onto which the contents of the bag are transferred, and may
include a sealable opening through which the bag may be inserted
into the enclosure. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the
sealable opening may be a half-conical rubber, which is shown to be
mounted around the outlet of the loader to allow for snug fit with
the barrel to contain the dust upon emptying the bag's contents. In
general, the loader in a bag lifting and emptying system may have a
different design to fit barrel mixers in which the barrel is tilted
to about 45 degrees, the degree of tilt in all barrel mixers being
adjustable. As shown in FIG. 5, the loader may be mounted on
adjustable legs 560, to make it possible to align its outlet with
the inlet of the barrel of the mixer. Other forms of sealable
opening may be used for the dust enclosure 510, including but not
limited to a closable shoot and collapsible flaps.
[0026] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an alternate embodiment of a bag
lifting and emptying system 600. As illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6B, the
bag lifting and emptying system 600 may be designed so that the bag
is made to enter the hopper from an inlet 636 on the top of the
hopper, rather than from an inlet located on the side of the hopper
that is manually opened and shut, as shown in FIGS. 1A-1D. FIG. 6A
illustrates the lifting action of the hoist, while FIG. 6B
illustrates the bag entering the inlet 636 on the top of the
hopper. The inlet 636 of the hopper may be opened, for example,
when the bag pushes on two spring-loaded flaps. The design
illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6B may have the advantage of not requiring
manual interference to open the hopper inlet. Another advantage of
the design illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6B may be that it is easier to
raise the fully or partially emptied bag is easier in this
configuration, because the cable direction is perfectly vertical
and no force is exerted in a slant direction to possibly jam the
bag.
[0027] FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D provide actual three-dimensional
views of a bag lifting and emptying system in operation. The bag
lifting and emptying system may be operated by piercing the top of
a bag 705 with a spear 710 so as to attach the bag 705 to a hoist
730, as shown in FIG. 7A. The hoist 730 may be operated (either
electrically, as shown in FIGS. 7A-7D, or manually) to cause the
bag 705 to be lifted, as shown in FIG. 7B. The inlet 736 of a
hopper may be opened, and the bag 705 lowered into the hopper, as
shown in FIGS. 7C-7D. Once the bag 705 has been substantially
emptied of its contents, the bag 705 may be removed from the spear
710. The process described above may be repeated to empty other
bags. The material that is removed from the bag(s) may be mixed
with fluid and/or other material. Any one of numerous commercially
available mixers may be used.
[0028] While a dust enclosure is not explicitly shown in FIGS.
7A-7D, in an embodiment that includes a dust enclosure, a sealable
opening in the dust enclosure may be opened, when the bag is ready
to be lowered into the hopper. The hoist may then be operated to
lower the bag within the dust enclosure. The sealable opening may
be closed, after which the hoist may continue to lower the bag onto
the bag rupture mechanism. After the bag has been substantially
emptied of its contents, the sealable opening in the dust enclosure
may be opened again, and the bag may continue to be hoisted out of
the dust enclosure.
[0029] In sum, systems and methods have been described that allow
the process of lifting and emptying heavy bags of material to be
automated. In this way, the laborious task of lifting and lowering
the heavy bags may be eliminated, while containing dust generated
during the process.
[0030] While certain embodiments have been described of systems and
methods for lifting, lowering, and emptying a bag, it is to be
understood that the concepts implicit in these embodiments may be
used in other embodiments as well. The protection of this
application is limited solely to the claims that now follow.
[0031] In these claims, reference to an element in the singular is
not intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically so
stated, but rather "one or more." All structural and functional
equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described
throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known
to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated
herein by reference, and are intended to be encompassed by the
claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be
dedicated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is
explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be
construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112, sixth
paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase
"means for" or, in the case of a method claim, the element is
recited using the phrase "step for."
* * * * *