Patent Application
20210129647
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The disclosure relates to seal devices and more particularly pertains to a new seal device for forming a fluid impermeable seal between a dump box on a dump truck and a gate on the dump box.
The prior art relates to seal devices.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a dump box that is mountable on a dump truck for carrying and dumping a load. A gate is hingedly coupled to the dump box for opening and closing the dump box. A conduit is integrated into the dump box and the conduit is fluidly coupled to an air compressor of the dump truck to receive compressed air from the air compressor. A control is positioned in a cab of the dump truck and the control is in electrical communication with the air compressor. A balloon is coupled to the dump box and the balloon is in fluid communication with the conduit. The balloon is inflated when the control is put in an on condition. Thus, the balloon engages the gate when the balloon is inflated and the gate is in the closed position to inhibit debris from passing between the dump box and the gate.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A gate 24 is hingedly coupled to the dump box 12. The gate 24 closes the dump box 12 when the gate 24 is positioned in a closed position. The gate 24 opens the dump box 12 when the gate 24 is in an open position. The gate 24 has a first surface 26 and the first surface 26 abuts the rear edge 16 of the dump box 12 when the gate 24 is in the closed position. Additionally, the first surface 26 is spaced from the rear edge 16 when the gate 24 is in the open position.
A conduit 28 is integrated into the dump box 12. The conduit 28 is fluidly coupled to an air compressor 30 of the dump truck 14 to receive compressed air from the air compressor 30. The air compressor 30 may be the factory installed air compressor that supplies compressed air for air brakes on the dump truck 14. The conduit 28 has a first end 32 and a second end 34. The first end 32 is fluidly coupled to an outlet 36 of the air compressor 30 and the second end 34 is positioned in the channel 20.
A control 38 is positioned in a cab 40 of the dump truck 14 such that the control 38 is accessible to a driver. The control 38 is in electrical communication with the air compressor 30. The control 38 actuates the air compressor 30 to release compressed air into the conduit 28 when the control 38 is put into an on condition. Additionally, the control 38 inhibits the air compressor 30 from releasing compressed air into the conduit 28 when the control 38 is put into an off condition. Moreover, the control 38 facilitates air to escape the conduit 28 when the control 38 is put in the off condition. The control 38 may include a control box that is positioned in the cab 40 and the control 38 may include an air valve that is fluidly coupled to the conduit 28. The air valve may be an electrically controlled air valve that passes air in a first direction when the control 38 is put in the on condition, or a second direction when the control 38 is put in the off condition.
A balloon 42 is coupled to the dump box 12 and the balloon 42 is in fluid communication with the conduit 28. The balloon 42 is inflated when the control 38 is put in the on condition. Moreover, the balloon 42 engages the gate 24 when the balloon 42 is inflated and the gate 24 is in the closed position. In this way the balloon 42 inhibits debris from passing between the dump box 12 and the gate 24 when the gate 24 is in the closed position.
The balloon 42 is positioned in the channel 20 and the balloon 42 is coextensive with the channel 20. The balloon 42 is fluidly coupled to the second end 34 of the conduit 28 for inflating the balloon 42 with the compressed air supplied by the air compressor 30. Additionally, the balloon 42 engages the first surface 26 of the gate 24 when the balloon 42 is inflated and the gate 24 is in the closed position. The balloon 42 may be comprised of a puncture resistant material such that the balloon 42 resists being damaged by the gate 24 or by the debris.
In use, the control 38 is put into the on condition when the dump box 12 has been lowered and the gate 24 is in the closed position. Thus, the balloon 42 inflates to seal the gap between the first surface 26 of the gate 24 and the rear edge 16 of the dump box 12. In this way debris or material that is being transported in the dump box 12 is inhibited from falling between the dump box 12 and the gate 24. The control 38 is put into the off condition when the dump box 12 is being lifted for dumping the debris or material from the dumb box.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
