Patent Application
20120103876
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention described in this application relates to a mobile beach sand sifting device that is designed to remove waste material from beach sand and deposit the waste material in a suitable receptacle, while returning the sand to the beach surface. The device may also be used in any environment where it is necessary to separate coarse material from a mass of finer particulate material. A method of removing contaminants from sand on a beach is also disclosed.
2. Description of Related Art
Recent events have demonstrated the need for mobile beach-cleaning apparatus in the situation where an oil spill has occurred at sea. Semi-solid accumulations of oil known as tar balls wash up on beaches and need to be picked up and separated from the sand in an efficient manner.
Known devices for cleaning sand on beaches tend to be large self-propelled vehicles such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,211. These units are very expensive, tend to require frequent maintenance and are not very maneuverable. Smaller units such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,236 are more portable but are also far more complex and consequently more expensive than the current invention. They are also more prone to maintenance issues because they include complex mechanical subassemblies. They are also not particularly effective in picking up tar balls due to the nature of the sifting mechanisms.
The invention disclosed and claimed in this application overcomes the above noted deficiencies by utilizing a compact, maneuverable, and far less complex design. It includes a mobile frame supported by wheels. A towing arm is positioned at a front portion of the frame to form a trailer for attachment to a motorized vehicle. An inclined screen is supported on the frame. A hinged hopper is provided at the lower portion of the screen to collect larger bodies such as tar balls that have been separated out. The hopper can then be tilted to direct tar balls or other bodies into plastic bags for transportation to a treating facility.
Referring to
Sifter 10 may include side rails 14, 13 and transverse rails 15, 16, and 17. Referring to
Sifter 10 also includes two wheels 46 that are pivotably mounted to the frame in any known manner such as an axle or spindle 45 supported by the frame. Towing arm 21 is secured to the front portion of horizontal frame 10 as shown in
Vertical frame 11 includes a plurality of upright rails 49 and cross rail 19. Inclined frame member 12 includes two side rails 22 and 23 and upper cross member 18 that form a frame for supporting screen assembly 35. Intermediate cross member may also extend between rails 22 and 23 to support the screen assembly. A twelve volt vibrator 24 is attached to the overall frame structure at any suitable location so as to vibrate screen assembly 35, thereby facilitating separation of the material placed on the top of the screen. A power cable 20 extends from vibrator 24 and may be connected to a twelve volt power source on the towing vehicle. Supporting rails 31, 33, 34 and 41 may further be provided to support the inclined frame 12 on the horizontal frame 10. The various rail components as described above can be welded to each other to form a rigid assembly, or otherwise secured to each other in any known fashion.
In this embodiment lower frame 5 includes longitudinal beams 13, 14 and cross beams 15, 16 and 17. A towing bar 21 extends between cross beams 15 and 17 and has a suitable coupling 25 for attachment to a power vehicle. Vertically adjustable wheel assembly 26 is attached to a forward portion of the towing bar 21. Two vertical posts 9 and 11 are pivotally mounted at their lower end to longitudinal beams 13 and 14 by pivot assemblies 13a, 13b and 14a, 14b respectively. Inclined frame assembly 12 includes 2 L-shaped longitudinal members 22 and 23 and a front L-shaped cross member 18.
Members 22, 23 and 18 form a frame that is adapted to hold the screen and screen frame assembly in place. The screen frame may be releasably secured to the inwardly extending portion of the L-shaped frame members 22 and 23 by any suitable means such as a nut and bolt assembly passing through apertures in the L-shaped member and the screen frame as shown in
A pair of bracket members 22c and 23c are pivotably connected to the forward ends of longitudal frame members 23, 22 at 22b and 23c. Bracket members 22c and 23c include a rectangular collar that slidably receives vertical frame members 9 and 11 and are perforated to receive locking pins 22a and 23a. The rear portions of members 22 and 23 are pivoted to base frame members 13, 14 at 13d and 14d.
The inclination of the screen assembly can be adjusted by removing pins 22a and 23a and sliding brackets 22c and 23c up or down on the support posts 9 and 11. Support posts 9 and 11 include a plurality of holes 9a and 11a that can receive pin 22a.
The above described apparatus may be used to clean up any contaminants that are present on beaches, but is particularly useful for cleanup of tar balls that are deposited on beaches as a result of oil spills. In use, the sifter is attached to the towing vehicle at coupling 25. The sifter is positioned on the beach or is slowly driven on the beach as contaminated sand is placed on the top portion of the screen assembly, either by workers (walking alongside the sifter) or by a front loader that has scooped up the sand and contaminants. As shown in
Various modifications to the device can be made as would be apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art. More than one screen assembly with screens of varying mesh size can be utilized. Also, in lieu of a screen, a perforated thin metal sheet may serve as the filtering element.
It is understood that modifications to the invention may be made as might occur to one skilled in the field of the invention within the scope of the appended claims. All embodiments contemplated hereunder which achieve the objects of the invention have not been shown in complete detail. Other embodiments may be developed without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims. Although the present invention has been described with respect to specific details, it is not intended that such details should be regarded as limitations on the scope of the invention, except to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims.
