Patent Application
20070261759
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for filling sandbags with sand and, more particularly, to such a device that can be utilized with traditional roadway sanding trucks, pick-up trucks, and trailers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,629 a small hopper is designed to replace the standard broadcast spreader in a roadway sanding truck. According to lines 61 through 63 in column 1 of that patent, “The small hopper is designed to fit into the framework normally used to hold the broadcast spreader.” The small hopper is basically a chute with a larger opening on top and a smaller opening on the bottom. The sides of the small hopper slant diagonally inward from top to bottom, the front and back of the small hopper are substantially parallel to one another, and the top of the front of the small hopper is lower than the top of the back of the small hopper in order to accommodate a forward extension of the chute.
The hopper of U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,178 is also designed to work with a roadway sanding truck. It is similar to the small hopper of U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,629 except that all sides of the upper portion taper outward from the bottom to the top, making no two opposite sides substantially parallel to one another.
Although in FIG. 1, the hopper of U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,396 appears to be essentially the same shape as that of U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,629, lines 13 and 14 in column 4 say, “As seen in FIG. 5, the hopper 50 preferably has four substantially trapezoidal sidewalls . . . ” Therefore, again no two opposite walls could be substantially parallel.
In the device of U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,640 two separate funnels operate independently to fill sandbags but a connected adjacent to one another.
And relatively complicated machinery for filling multiple sandbags is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,215,127; 6,145,709; 6,112,956; 6,269,849; and 6,431,407.
None of the preceding devices, however, consist of a unitary hopper containing a pivotally mounted divider for directing the flow of sand into a selected one of two outlets.
The Device for Filling Sandbags from a Source of Sand of the present invention does have an input opening to a unitary hopper with two outlet openings and a divider pivotally mounted to direct the flow of sand into which of the two outlet openings that an operator desires.
Furthermore, preferably, all interior surfaces have a continuous downward slope to impede any accumulation of sand.
And, in addition to being designed and constructed to replace the broadcast spreader on a traditional roadway sanding truck, the Device for Filling Sandbags from a Source of Sand optionally comprises and adapter for connecting the Device for Filling Sandbags from a Source of Sand to the receiver of a pick-up truck or a trailer.
Several safety feature are, moreover, incorporated into the design and construction of the Device for Filling Sandbags from a Source of Sand.
As is the case with the device of U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,629, the Device for Filling Sandbags from a Source of Sand 1 of the present invention is, as observed above, designed and constructed to replace the broadcast spreader of a traditional roadway sanding truck.
The Device for Filling Sandbags from a Source of Sand 1 has a hopper 2, comprising a front 3, a first side 4, a second side 5, and a back 6, as shown for a preferred embodiment in
An input opening 7 for the introduction of sand is located at the top 8 of the hopper 2.
Two outlet openings 9, 10 are placed at the bottom 11 of the hopper 8.
The top 12 of the front 3 is lower than the top 13 of the back 5 in order to accommodate an attached forwardly extending chute 14.
A divider 15 is, near a first end 16 of the divider, pivotally attached to the hopper 2 (preferably, with a bushing and pivot rod connected to the front 3 and back 6 of the hopper 2) near the bottom 11 of the hopper 2 and between the first outlet opening 9 and the second outlet opening 10. In order to accommodate pivoting of the divider 15, the front 3 and back 6 of the hopper 2 are substantially parallel to one another. Below the divider 15, the bottom 11 of the hopper 2 preferably has a raised portion 16 with downwardly sloping surfaces 17 to avoid an accumulation of sand.
In fact, preferably, all interior surfaces 18 of the hopper 2 and the forwardly extending chute 14 slope continuously downward to avoid such accumulations of sand. And, even more preferably, except for the raised portion 16 and the point 19 where the lower portion 114 of the forwardly extending chute 14 connects to the front 3 of the hopper 2, the degree of the slope does not change.
Near the top 20 on each side 21, 22 of the forwardly extending chute 14 an upper projection 23 and a lower projection 24 preferably form a channel 25 to accommodate lips of a traditional roadway sanding truck to which the broadcast spreader is removably attached; the channel 25 enables the Device for Filling Sandbags from a Source of Sand 1 to be removably attached to such a traditional roadway sanding truck.
Preferably, the Device for Filling Sandbags from a Source of Sand 1 incorporates several safety features. A rear guard 26 extends upward from the back 6 of the hopper 2, a first side guard 27 extends upward from the first side 4 of the hopper 2, a second side guard 28 extends upward from the second side 5 of the hopper 2, and a top guard 29 extends forward from the back 6 of the hopper 2 between the first side guard 27 and the second side guard 28 but preferably does not extend forward far enough to reach the front 3 of the hopper 2.
Preferably extending from the front 129, 30 of at least one of the side guards 27, 28 but not extending so far as the rear 31, 32 of the side guard 27, 28 is at least one channel 33 to accommodate a bolt for locking the Device for Filling Sandbags from a Source of Sand 1 to a traditional roadway sanding truck. Optionally an aperture 34 in the upper projection 23 aligned with an aperture 35 in the lower projection 24 can accomplish this same purpose.
Preferably, a handle 36 is attached near a second end 37 of the divider 15; and, even more preferably, the handle 36 extends rearward through an arcuate channel in the rear guard 26. Also preferably, a grip 38 is attached to the handle 36 beyond the rear guard 26, the handle 36 is angled downward (preferably, 45 degrees) for convenience and safety, and a pinch guard 39 is located around the handle 36 between the grip 38 and the rear guard 26.
Preferably, a first lifting handle 40 is attached to the outer portion 41 of the first side 4 of the hopper 2; and a second lifting handle 42 is attached to the outer portion 43 of the second side 5 of the hopper 2 to facilitate movement and manipulation of the Device for Filling Sandbags from a Source of Sand 1.
The first side 4 of the hopper 2, the second side 5 of the hopper 2, the front 3 of the hopper 2, the back 6 of the hopper 2, the bottom 11 of the hopper 2, and the forwardly extending chute 14 are preferably constructed of 12-gauge steel. The divider 15 is preferably constructed of 7-gauge steel. And, preferably, to prevent corrosion and enhance the flow of sand, first side 4 of the hopper 2, the second side 5 of the hopper 2, the front 3 of the hopper 2, the back 6 of the hopper 2, the bottom 11 of the hopper 2, the forwardly extending chute 14, and the divider 15 are powder coated.
Utilizing an adapter 44, the Device for Filling Sandbags from a Source of Sand 1 can be attached to the receiver of a pick-up truck or to the receiver of a trailer.
The adapter 44 comprises a first horizontal beam 45 having a series of apertures 46 near a first end 47 and a vertically oriented receiver 48 near a second end 49, a vertical beam 50 having a series of apertures 51 near a first end 52 that is to be inserted into the receiver 48 near the second end 49 of the first horizontal beam 45, and a U-shaped piece of angle iron 53 attached to a first end 54 of a second horizontal beam 55. A second end 56 of the second horizontal beam 55 is connected (Such connection can be fixed or adjustable.) to the vertical beam 50. Of course the placement of receivers and apertures can be anywhere that will allow the U-shaped piece of angle iron 53 to be adjusted vertically and, preferably, horizontally. If desired, however, any or all connections can be non-adjustable. The angle iron 53 then functions just as do the lips in a traditional roadway sanding truck.
As used herein, the term “substantially” indicates that one skilled in the art would consider the value modified by such terms to be within acceptable limits for the stated value. Also as used herein the term “preferable” or “preferably” means that a specified element or technique is more acceptable than another but not that such specified element or technique is a necessity.
