Bulk materials bagger and method

• US 20070243053A1
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stacey Babiarz
• Original Assignee: Stacey Babiarz
• Inventors: Babiarz, Stacey
• Granted Patent: US 7,510,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/725
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/3414 the arms being pivoted at the rear of the vehicle chassis, e.g. skid steer loader
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/3604 Devices to connect tools to arms, booms or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/407 with ejecting or other unloading device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 37/903 Scoop or scraper attachments

Abstract

An apparatus and method for packaging bulk materials into containers. The apparatus and method are useful in the bagging of bulk products, such as sand, salt, grain, feed and the like, and is particularly useful in rapidly forming sandbags. The bags can be filled at a remote location. The apparatus may be attached to a vehicle, such as a skid steer, tractor or truck, and can replace an existing bucket of a front end loader. The bucket scoops a quantity of bulk material into the bucket. An auger mounted in the bucket is driven by a motor to force a flow stream of bulk material out an opening in the bucket. An open container is placed adjacent the flow stream to rapidly fill the container with bulk material. The apparatus can also be provided as a retrofit kit to convert an existing bucket into a bagging apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus for attachment to a mobile machine and for filling a container with bulk material particles held in the apparatus comprising:

a receptacle,

the receptacle having a bottom and at least a first wall,

an opening in the first wall,

a bulk material particle mover for moving bulk material particles from a first location in the receptacle towards a second location adjacent the opening, the bulk material particle mover mounted in operative relation to the opening to cause the bulk material particles to exit the receptacle through the opening.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the bulk material particle mover is an auger, and the auger is positioned within the receptacle.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the receptacle is a bucket capable of attachment to a vehicle.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the auger is positioned along the bottom of the bucket and is mounted to the bucket, and the apparatus includes a motor for rotating the auger to move the bulk material particles towards the opening and force the bulk material particles through the opening.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the first wall is a sidewall, and the bucket has a second sidewall, and a rear wall and a bottom, with the bucket having at least a partially open top and at least a partially open front end for scooping particles into the bucket by movement of the front of the bucket into a pile of bulk material particles.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the auger has a first end and a second end, the first end of the auger being mounted adjacent the first sidewall and adjacent to the opening in the first sidewall, and the second end of the auger being mounted adjacent the second sidewall with the auger extending along the bottom of the bucket, and a motor connected to the auger to rotate the auger to thereby cause movement of the bulk material towards the opening in the sidewall.

7. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the apparatus includes a second auger mounted to the receptacle, and the receptacle includes a second opening in the receptacle, the second auger aligned with the second opening so that bulk material particles are moved by the second auger out the second opening.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the receptacle has a second wall opposite the first wall, the second wall having a second opening therethrough, the auger having a spindle with a first end and a second end, the first end of the spindle mounted adjacent to first opening in the first wall and the second end of the spindle mounted adjacent second opening the second wall, the spindle having a first section and a second section, the first section of the spindle having screw blades arranged thereabout for directing bulk material particles towards the first opening in the first wall, and the second section of the auger having screw blades arranged thereabout for directing bulk material particles towards the second opening in the second wall whereby rotation of the auger can provide bulk material particles to simultaneously exit from the first and second openings.

9. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the receptacle is a bucket attachable to a manually driven vehicle and the bulk material particle mover is for moving bulk material particles from one location in the bucket to the opening in the first wall with the auger forcing the bulk material particles out the opening so that the bulk material particles may fall into a container to thereby fill a container.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 further characterized by the receptacle including brackets for mounting to a three point hitch.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further characterized by the receptacle including a rear wall having a rear surface, and at least one of the brackets for mounting the bucket to a three point hitch is positioned on the rear surface of the rear wall.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a gear box for operative connection with a power take off shaft, and the gear box being operatively connected to the bulk particle mover to power the bulk power particle mover.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a chute positioned adjacent the wall, and a sleeve attached to the chute, the chute and the sleeve providing a passageway for bulk material particles exiting through the opening.

14. A retrofit kit for installation in an existing loader bucket for attachment to a vehicle, the bucket having a first and a second sidewall, a bottom wall and a rear wall, the first sidewall having an opening therethrough, the retrofit kit for adapting the bucket to fill a container positioned outside the bucket and adjacent the opening with bulk material particles temporarily held in the bucket by moving the bulk material particles held in the bucket towards and out the opening and into the container comprising:

an auger having a first end and a second end, the auger adapted to be mounted along the bottom wall of a bucket with the first end of the auger in operative relationship with the opening in the first sidewall and for moving bulk material particles held in the bucket towards and out the opening in the first wall,

a motor for turning the auger, and

mounting brackets for mounting the auger to the bucket.

15. A method of filling a container with bulk material particles from a supply of bulk material particles comprising:

providing a mobile machine with a receptacle attached thereto, the receptacle having an opening,

providing the receptacle with a machine device to move the bulk material particles from one location in the receptacle to another location within the receptacle,

loading the bulk material particles into the receptacle,

moving the bulk material particles within the receptacle towards the opening in the receptacle by operation of the machine device,

exiting the bulk material particles out the opening at least in part by operation of the machine device,

providing a container,

positioning the container adjacent the opening, and

filling the container with bulk material particles exiting out of the opening.

16. The method of claim 15 further characterized by:

the receptacle being a bucket and the mobile machine being a vehicle with the bucket attached to the vehicle,

the loading comprises scooping the bulk material particles into the bucket.

17. The method of claim 16 further characterized by:

providing the bulk material particle supply in the form of a pile of sand,

the loading comprising moving the bucket into the pile of sand to scoop the sand into the bucket,

the filling step comprises filling a container that is a bag with sand to form a sandbag, and

removing a filled sandbag from a position adjacent the opening.

18. The method of claim 17 further characterized by:

providing the bucket with a sidewall with the opening positioned in the sidewall and passing through the sidewall,

providing an auger for moving the sand particles from a first location in the bucket to a second location adjacent the opening,

rotating the auger to move the sand particles,

providing a chute positioned in operative relationship with the opening,

passing the sand along the chute, and

aligning the bag and the chute to fill the bag with sand to form the sandbag.

19. The method of claim 16 further characterized by:

providing a second opening in bucket, and

moving bulk material particles out the second opening to simultaneously fill a second container at the second opening while filling a container at the first opening.

20. The method according to claim 16 further characterized by:

moving the vehicle from a first location adjacent the pile to a second location that is remote from the first location after the bulk material particles have been scooped into the bucket, and

performing the container filling step at least partially at the second location.