SHIPPING ASSEMBLY FOR HAMMERMILL HAMMERS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure generally relates to a shipping assembly. More specifically, the disclosure relates to shipping assembly for hammer mill hammers.

Hammer mills are mills that are used to shred, break, or crush material into smaller pieces. This is accomplished by the material to be milled be struck repeatedly by hammers mounted within the hammer mill. The hammers are substantially rectangular and planar such that the hammers are essentially elongated metal sheets. The hammers have an opening through faces of the hammers that receive a mount for the hammer mill as well as, in some instances, a spacer to distance the hammers from each other to reduce wear caused by contact between the hammers. Due to the repeated contact, the hammers wear down over time and require replacement.

When the hammers wear down to a point of being inefficient, the hammer or hammers must be replaced. These hammers, however, are not readily available in all areas and require shipment from a supplier in most instances. When packaged, the hammers are placed in packaging but are loose from one another. As a result, the hammers shift within the packaging resulting in unnecessary collisions between the hammers during shipping, which results in some degree of wear before the hammers are assembled onto the hammer mill. When the hammers arrive, each must be unpackaged and individually assembled. This process is time consuming and unnecessarily cumbersome, which causes unnecessary downtime of the hammer mill while the hammers are replaced.

Thus it is a primary aspect of this disclosure to provide a shipping assembly that improves upon the art.

Another aspect of this disclosure is to provide a shipping assembly that prevents damage.

Yet another aspect of this disclosure is to provide a shipping assembly that facilitates replacement of hammer mill components.

Another aspect of this disclosure is to provide a shipping assembly that reduces the time to replace hammer mill components.

Yet another aspect of this disclosure is to provide a shipping assembly that is user friendly.

Another aspect of this disclosure is to provide a shipping assembly that is cost-effective to produce.

Yet another aspect of this disclosure is to provide a shipping assembly that is durable.

These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the specification and claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosure provides various aspects of a shipping assembly for components of a hammer mill, including a hammer, a spacer, and/or a lock collar.

In some aspects of the disclosure, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly including: a body; a pair of jaws extending from a bottom of the body; and a stop arm extending from a top of the body.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including the pair of jaws having a first jaw arm and a second jaw arm.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly wherein the first jaw arm is longer than the second jaw arm.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly wherein the first jaw arm and the second jaw arm are angled towards one another in a direction away from the bottom of the body.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly wherein the first jaw arm and the second jaw arm have equal spring tension such that when a hammer is received in the pair of jaws, the first jaw arm and the second jaw arm extend parallel with one another.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly wherein the bottom of the body has an angled portion that extends from a midpoint of the bottom to an end of the body.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including a first hammer bracket extending outwardly from the first jaw arm in relation to a front surface of the body and a second hammer bracket extending outwardly from the second jaw arm in relation to the front surface of the body.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including a third hammer bracket extending outwardly from the first jaw arm in relation to the front surface of the body and positioned away from the first hammer bracket such that a gap is positioned between the first hammer bracket and the third hammer bracket, and wherein the second hammer bracket on the second jaw arm is positioned in alignment with the gap on the first jaw arm.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including the first jaw arm having a first recess, wherein a thickness the first recess is less than the rest of the first jaw arm, and the second jaw arm having a second recess, wherein a thickness of the second recess is less than the rest of the second jaw arm.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including a stop extending outwardly from the stop arm in relation to a front surface of the body.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including the stop having a vertical projection and a horizontal projection that extend outwardly in relation to the front surface of the body and intersect at a peak.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including a handle opening positioned through the stop arm above the stop.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including a handle extending through the handle opening, wherein the handle is a zip-tie.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including a collar extending from the bottom of the body between the pair of jaws.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including the collar having a first collar arm and a second collar arm that extends outwardly and outwardly in an arcuate fashion in relation to the bottom of the body, wherein the first collar arm and the second collar arm terminate leaving a gap.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including the first collar arm having a first protrusion at an end.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including a first exterior prong and a second exterior prong extending from the bottom of the body between the pair of jaws.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly wherein the first exterior prong and the second exterior prong are angled towards one another in a direction away from the bottom of the body.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including the first exterior prong having a trapezoidal portion and a conical portion, wherein the trapezoidal portion is positioned between the bottom of the body and the conical portion.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including the conical portion having a ribbing on an interior surface of the conical portion.

In some aspects, broadly described herein, the techniques relate to a shipping assembly further including a first interior stop and a second interior stop extending from the bottom of the body between the pair of jaws, wherein the first interior stop terminates in an end that is arcuate.

This has outlined, rather broadly, the features, advantages, solutions, and benefits of the disclosure in order that the description that follows may be better understood. Additional features, advantages, solutions, and benefits of the disclosure will be described in the following. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that this disclosure may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures and related operations for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions and related operation do not depart from the teachings of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features, together with further objects and advantages, will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying Figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the Figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a front view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a detail view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a detail view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a front view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a top view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a shipping assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure; and

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of a hammer mill according to an aspect of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure described herein is directed to different aspects of a shipping assembly 10. The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the appended drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. These descriptions include specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. It will be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts. As described herein, the use of the term “and/or” is intended to represent an “inclusive OR”, and the use of the term “or” is intended to represent an “exclusive OR”.

The disclosure is described herein with reference to certain aspects, iterations, embodiments, and examples but it is understood that the disclosure can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the aspects set forth herein.

Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements or components, these elements or components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element or component from another. Hence, a first element discussed herein could be termed a second element without departing from the teachings of the present application. It is understood that actual systems or fixtures embodying the disclosure can be arranged in many different ways with many more features and elements beyond what is shown in the drawings. For the same or similar elements or features, the same reference numbers may be used throughout the disclosure.

It is to be understood that when an element or component is referred to as being “on” another element or component, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. Furthermore, relative terms such as “between”, “within”, “below”, and similar terms, may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element or component to another. It is understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the disclosure in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.

Aspects of the disclosure may be described herein with reference to illustrations that are schematic illustrations. As such, the actual thickness of elements can be different, and variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances are expected. Thus, the elements illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region of a device and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

With reference to the Figures aspects of the shipping assembly 10 are shown according to the disclosure.

The shipping assembly 10 is configured to facilitate the packaging and shipment of components for a hammer mill 12. In particular, such components comprise one or more of a hammer 14, a spacer 16, and a lock collar 18. Conventionally, the hammer 14 has a generally vertically elongated rectangular shape that extends between a top end 20 and a bottom end 22. Adjacent the top end 20 is an opening 24. The spacer 16 has a circular or tubular shape and is configured to be positioned between two of the hammers 14 to prevent a hammer-on-hammer collision during operation of the hammer mill 12. The lock collar 18 is comprised of a cylindrical clamshell 26 having a top half 28 and a bottom half 30 that form an opening when connected. The top half 28 and the bottom half 30 have aligned openings 32 on opposing ends 34 that have a thread 36 to receive a connector 38, such as a screw or a bolt. When the connector 38 connects the top half 28 and the bottom half 30 a cavity 40 is formed within each of the aligned openings 32.

Each of these components are received on a rod 42 of the hammer mill 12. As shown in FIG. 15, the components are segmented with a rotor plate 44 positioned between segments. For instance, three of the hammers 14 are positioned between two of the rotor plates 44 on the left-hand side. The lock collar 18 is positioned between the leftmost of the hammers 14 and the leftmost of the rotor plate 44 and two of the spacers 16 are positioned between the hammers 14. The lock collar 18 is configured to be tightened onto the rod 42 by tightening the connector 38 such that the top half 28 and the bottom half 30 clamp onto the rod 42 and prevent lateral movement of the hammers 14 during operation of the hammer mill 12. Due to engagement with the rod 42, the lock collar 18 does not typically form a circle but rather an elongated circle (e.g., pill shaped) or a compacted circle.

In aspects of the present invention, as shown in at least FIGS. 1-14, the shipping assembly 10 comprises a spacer holder 46 and/or a lock collar holder 48 and in some aspects multiple of the spacer holder 46 and/or the lock collar holder 48. The spacer holder 46 is configured to hold the hammer 14 and the spacer 16, whereas the lock collar holder 48 is configured to hold the hammer 14 and the lock collar 18.

In yet other aspects, shown in at least FIGS. 1-5, 9, 11, 12, and 14, the spacer holder 46 comprises one or more of a first main body 50, a first pair of jaws 52, a first stop arm 54, a second stop arm 56, and a collar 58.

In further aspects, the first main body 50 extends between a first end 60 and a second end 62 that opposes the first end 60, and a top 64 and a bottom 66. In certain aspects, the bottom 66 has a first angled portion 68 that angles upwardly towards the top 64 from a midpoint 70 along a length of the bottom 66 that extends towards the second end 62. In other aspects, the top 64 has a second angled portion 72 that angles downwardly towards the bottom 66 from a midpoint 74 along a length of the top 64 that extends towards the first end 60.

In still further aspects, the first pair of jaws 52 extend from the first end 60 and second end 62 of the first main body 50 and in doing so, in certain aspects, taper inwardly towards one another such that the distance between the first pair of jaws 52 is greatest at the intersection with the first main body 50. In some such aspects having the first angled portion 68 and the second angled portion 72, the spring tension of the first pair of jaws 52 are equal to one another such that when the hammer 14 is received within the first pair of jaws 52, the first pair of jaws 52 extend parallel with one another or substantially parallel with one another. In this way, the opening 24 of the hammer 14 aligns with the collar 58 as described in aspects herein.

In yet further aspects, the first pair of jaws 52 comprise a first jaw arm 76 that extends downwardly from the first end 60 of the first main body 50 in a direction away from the bottom 66 and a second jaw arm 78 that extends downwardly from the second end 62 of the first main body 50 in a direction away from the bottom 66. In further aspects, the first jaw arm 76 is longer than the second jaw arm 78, which reduces the material and time to manufacture. In such aspects, the presence of the first angled portion 68 and the second angled portion 72 of the first main body 50 is such that equal or substantially equal spring tension is maintained. In other aspects, the first main body 50, the first jaw arm 76, and the second jaw arm 78 are in a planar relationship such that each reside in the same or substantially same plane.

In still other aspects, the first jaw arm 76 has a first hammer bracket 80 and/or a second hammer bracket 82 that extend perpendicularly outward from the plane in which the first jaw arm 76 extends. In certain aspects, the first hammer bracket 80 positioned away from the first main body 50 and the second hammer bracket 82 such that a set of gaps 84 is formed between the first main body 50 and the first hammer bracket 80, and first hammer bracket 80 and the second hammer bracket 82. In some aspects, the second hammer bracket 82 is positioned at an end 86 of the first jaw arm 76.

In yet other aspects, the second jaw arm 78 has a third hammer bracket 88 and/or a fourth hammer bracket 90 that extend perpendicularly outward from the plane in which the second jaw arm 78 extends. In particular aspects, the third hammer bracket 88 is positioned adjacent the first main body 50 and away from the fourth hammer bracket 90 such that a gap 92 is formed between the third hammer bracket 88 and the fourth hammer bracket 90. In still other aspects, the fourth hammer bracket 90 is positioned at an end 94 of the second jaw arm 78.

In such configurations, when one of the spacer holder 46 is connected to one face of the hammer 14 and a second of the spacer holder is connected to an opposing face of the hammer 14 (such as when a spacer 16 is positioned at the end of a segment as shown in FIG. 14), the first hammer bracket 80 is received with the gap 92 between the third hammer bracket 88 and the fourth hammer bracket 90. Additionally, the third hammer bracket 88 is received in one of the set of gaps 84 between the first main body 50 and the first hammer bracket 80, and the fourth hammer bracket 90, which is located at the end 94 of the second jaw arm 78 that is shorter than the first jaw arm 76, is received in another of the set of gaps 84 between the first hammer bracket 80 and the second hammer bracket 82. The second hammer bracket 82, being positioned at the end 86 of the first jaw arm 76, is received below the end 94 of the second jaw arm 78. To facilitate this reception, the first jaw arm 76 has a first recess 96 wherein the thickness of the first jaw arm 76 is reduced in comparison with the first main body 50 and the rest of the first jaw arm 76. The second jaw arm 78, in some aspects, has a second recess 98 wherein the thickness of the second jaw arm 78 is reduced in comparison with the first main body 50 and the rest of the second jaw arm 78. The portion of the first jaw arm 76 and the second jaw arm 78 that is not recessed provides rigidity to the first pair of jaws 52.

In yet other aspects, as shown in at least FIGS. 4 and 5, the first hammer bracket 80, the second hammer bracket 82, the third hammer bracket 88, and/or the fourth hammer bracket 90 have a channel 100 that faces inwardly. In some such aspects, the channel 100 is comprised an outer angled portion 102 and an inner angled portion 104, with a recess 106 therebetween such that receipt of the hammer 14 is facilitated by the outer angled portion and the inner angled portion 104 urging the hammer 14 towards the recess 106. When the hammer 14 is received between the first pair of jaws 52, the hammer 14 is held such that the hammer 14 engages and is held against a front surface 108 of the first main body 50 and the collar 58. In other aspects, the first hammer bracket 80, the second hammer bracket 82, the third hammer bracket 88, and/or the fourth hammer bracket 90 have an exterior surface 110 opposite of the channel 100 that is angled to reduce materials needed for manufacture.

In certain aspects, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the first hammer bracket 80 is positioned at the first end 60 of the first main body 50 and the second hammer bracket 82 is positioned at the second end 62 of the first main body. In some such aspects, the first pair of jaws 52 are absent.

In other aspects of the present invention, the first stop arm 54 extends upwardly from adjacent the first end 60 of the first main body 50 in a direction away from the top 64 of the first main body 50. Likewise in aspects of the present invention, the second stop arm 56 extends upwardly from adjacent the second end 62 of the first main body 50 in a direction away from the top 64. In other aspects, the first main body 50, the first jaw arm 76, the second jaw arm 78, the first stop arm 54, and the second stop arm 56 are in a planar relationship such that each reside in the same or substantially same plane as seen in at least FIGS. 3, 8, 11, and 12.

In further aspects of the present invention, the first stop arm 54 comprises one or more of a first stop 112 and a first handle opening 114 and the second stop arm 56 comprises one or more of a second stop 116 and a second handle opening 118. In some aspects, as shown in FIG. 9, the first stop 112 and the second stop 116 are both comprised of a horizontal projection 120 and a vertical projection 122 that extend perpendicular outward from the plane in which the first stop arm 54 and second stop arm 56 extends. In still other aspects, the horizontal projection 120 and the vertical projection 122 are triangularly shaped, both extending at an angle that intersect at a peak 124. As described further herein and seen in FIG. 14, the horizontal projection 120 is configured to engage the hammer 14 to prevent the hammer 14 from moving further upwards and also to align the opening 24 in the hammer 14 with the collar 58 such that when the spacer 16 is held in the collar 58, the opening 24 in the hammer 14 aligns with the spacer 16. The vertical projection 122 is configured to reinforce the horizontal projection 120 to prevent breakage when the hammer 14 engages the horizontal projection 120.

As seen in FIGS. 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, and 14, the first stop 112 and the second stop 116 are angled in some aspects of the disclosure. In such configurations, when one of the spacer holder 46 is connected to one face of the hammer 14 and a second of the spacer holder is connected to an opposing face of the hammer 14 (such as when a spacer 16 is positioned at the end of a segment as shown in FIG. 14), the respective angles of the first stop 112 and the second stop 116 provide a shared space for the first stop 112 and the second stop 116 to be positioned abutting each other over top of the hammer 14.

In further aspects, the first handle opening 114 is positioned above the first stop 112 and the second handle opening 118 is positioned above the second stop 116. In some aspects, the first handle opening 114 and the second stop 116 are sized and shaped to conform to the shape of a handle 126 that is received through the first stop arm 54 and the second stop arm 56 during assembly, described further herein. In this way, the handle 126 is inhibited from movement, which in turn limits or prevents the handle 126 from twisting or contorting that can result in breakage. For instance and as seen in FIG. 14, in aspects where the handle 126 is a zip-tie, the first handle opening 114 and the second handle opening 118 are shaped substantially rectangular as horizontally oriented.

In yet other aspects, as seen in at least FIGS. 3 and 11, the collar 58 comprises one or more of a neck 128, a first collar arm 130, and a second collar arm 132. In some aspects, the neck 128 extends downwardly from the bottom 66 of the first main body 50 between the first pair of jaws 52 at or approximately at the midpoint 70. In further aspects, the first collar arm 130 and the second collar arm 132 extends outwardly and downwardly in an arcuate fashion and terminate leaving a gap 134 between the two such that the spacer 16 can be pressed through the gap 134 as the first collar arm 130 and the second collar arm 132 expand outwardly to permit the spacer 16 to pass into an interior opening 136 of the collar 58. The epicenter of the interior opening 136, in certain aspects, is positioned 1.71 inches from the first stop 112 and the second stop 116, which causes the spacer 16 to align with the opening 24 of the hammer 14. In this way, the hammer 14 and the spacer 16 can readily receive the rod 42 through the aligned openings of the spacer 16, hammer 14, and collar 58.

In still further aspects, an interior surface 138 of the first collar arm 130 has a first protrusion 140 at an end 142 of the first collar arm 130 and/or the interior surface 138 of the second collar arm 132 has a second protrusion 144 at the end 142 of the second collar arm 132. In such configurations, the first protrusion 140 and the second protrusion 144 apply upward pressure on the spacer 16 due to the spring tension of the first collar arm 130 and the second collar arm 132 thereby preventing the spacer 16 from dislodging during transport.

In yet still other aspects, as seen in at least FIGS. 4-10 and 13, the lock collar holder comprises one or more of a second main body 146, a second pair of jaws 148, a third stop arm 150, a fourth stop arm 152, a first exterior prong 154, a second exterior prong 156, a first interior stop 158, and a second interior stop 160. In some aspects, the second main body 146 has aspects similar to or the same as those described herein in relation to the first main body 50, the second pair of jaws 148 has aspects similar to or the same as those described herein in relation to the first pair of jaws 52, and/or the third stop arm 150 and the fourth stop arm 152 have aspects similar to or the same as those described herein in relation to the first stop arm 54 and second stop arm 56.

The first exterior prong 154 and the second exterior prong 156, in some aspects, both extend downwardly from the bottom 66 of the second main body 146. In other aspects, the first exterior prong 154 and the second exterior prong 156 both taper inwardly so the smallest portion of the first exterior prong 154 and the second exterior prong 156 are furthest from the second main body 146. In some such aspects, the first exterior prong 154 and the second exterior prong 156 both comprise a trapezoidal portion 162 and a conical portion 164. The trapezoidal portion 162 provides rigidity to the attachment to the second main body 146 that is diminished due to the taper, which in some aspects provides a substantial advantage to the durability of the lock collar holder 48 as the conical portion 164 can reach diameters as small as 0.9 inches. The conical portion 164 is configured to reduce the size and shape of the first exterior prong 154 and the second exterior prong 156 so that each can be received in the aligned openings 32 of the lock collar 18.

In still further aspects, the first exterior prong 154 and the second exterior prong 156 angle inwardly towards one another such that when received by the lock collar 18, the first exterior prong 154 and second exterior prong 156 apply inward pressure on the lock collar 18 thereby gripping the lock collar 18. In certain aspects, as seen in FIG. 10, an interior surface 166 of the conical portion 164 of the first exterior prong 154 and/or second exterior prong 156 have a ribbing 168 that is configured to be received and grip the thread 36 within the aligned openings 32.

In other aspects, the first interior stop 158 and the second interior stop 160 both extend downwardly from the bottom 66 of the second main body 146. In some aspects, the first interior stop 158 and the second interior stop 160 are positioned such that they are between the first exterior prong 154 and the second exterior prong 156, which in turn positions the first exterior prong 154 and the second exterior prong 156 between the first interior stop 158 and the second interior stop 160 and the second pair of jaws 148, respectively. The first interior stop 158 and/or the second interior stop 160 terminate at an end 170 that is arcuate such that the first interior stop 158 and/or second interior stop 160 has a curvature to engage the lock collar 18. In still further aspects, the first interior stop 158 and the second interior stop 160 are configured to align the openings of the hammer 14 and the lock collar 18 to receive the rod 42 therethrough.

In an exemplary operation, and with reference to FIG. 15 and Segment A on FIG. 15, the spacer holder 46 and the lock collar holder 48 are stacked on top of one another with the first pair of jaws 52 interspersed with the second pair of jaws 148 as provided by first recess 96 and second recess 98 of each, respectively. The hammer 14 is then inserted from below the spacer holder 46 and the lock collar holder 48 such that the first pair of jaws 52 and the second pair of jaws 148 open as the hammer 14 works against the spring tensions such that the hammer 14 is gripped by the first pair of jaws 52 and the second pair of jaws 148. The hammer 14 is inserted until encountering the first stop 112 and the second stop 116 of the first stop arm 54, the second stop arm 56, the third stop arm 150, and the fourth stop arm 152.

Next, the spacer 16 is inserted into the collar 58 of the spacer holder 46. This results in the spacer 16 aligning with the opening 24 in the hammer 14. The lock collar 18 is then pressed onto the first exterior prong 154 and second exterior prong 156 so that the conical portion 164 is at least partially received within the aligned openings 32 of the lock collar 18 such that the ribbing 168 engages the thread 36 within the aligned openings 32. The depth of insertion is controlled by engagement of the lock collar 18 encountering the first interior stop 158 and the second interior stop 160.

The above operation is repeated for each other of the hammers 14 that are to be shipped. Hence, as seen in Segment B of FIGS. 15, where only the hammer 14 and the spacer 16 must be held, only one of the spacer holder 46 need be used.

After each of the hammers 14, the spacers 16, and/or the lock collars 18 are assembled within the shipping assembly 10, the rod 42 is inserted through the respective openings, which are aligned due to the shipping assembly 10. The rod 42 at this point in the operation is temporary and therefore is shorter and directed at a segment of the hammers 14 between a pair of the rotor plates 44. Once on the rod 42, the handle 126 is threaded through each of the first handle openings 114 that are in alignment in accordance with the present disclosure. This is repeated through the second handle openings 118 with another of the handle 126. In this way transition to the hammer mill 12 is facilitated while also enhancing the overall rigidity of the shipping assembly 10.

Once shipping is complete, the segment is transferred from the rod 42 that is temporary onto the rod 42 of the hammer mill 12. Using the handle 126, the shipping assembly 10 is pulled away from the hammers 14, the spacers 16, and the lock collars 18 that are now held in place by the rod 42 of the hammer mill 12. As described, this allows multiple of the hammers 14 to be replaced on a hammer mill 12 as a single segment rather than multiple distinct items.

Therefore, a shipping assembly 10 has been provided that prevents damage, facilitates replacement of hammer mill components, reduces the time to replace hammer mill components, is user friendly, is cost-effective to produce, is durable, and improves upon the art.

From the above discussion and accompanying figures and claims it will be appreciated that the shipping assembly 10 offers many advantages over the prior art. Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, modifications, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the technology of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular configurations of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification only expressly stated otherwise. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding configurations described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

SHIPPING ASSEMBLY FOR HAMMERMILL HAMMERS

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