Dispensing bucket apparatus

• US 5,938,398 A
• Filed: 10/10/1997
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Paladin Brands LLC (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Akard & Griffin
• Inventors: Brown, Rodney E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Karen M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MORSE, GREGORY ALLAN
• Application Number:
  US08/948,289
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 414/607, 414/608, 414/422, 414/425, 414/526, 414/725, 414/912, 414/685, 37/141, 37/903, 141/10, 222/412, 222/413, 222/608
• US Class Current: 414/607
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 13/00 Feeding the unshaped material to moulds or apparatus for producing shaped articles; Discharging shaped articles from such moulds or apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 21/025 Buckets specially adapted for use with concrete
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 37/903 Scoop or scraper attachments

Abstract

A dispensing bucket apparatus that removably connects to a loader vehicle. The apparatus is a bucket that is adapted to receive and hold a flowable material and has an exit opening in its front end that is selectively opened and closed by a gate. The position of the gate may be controlled by the user from within the loader vehicle to control the flow and flow rate of the flowable material from the bucket. The side walls of the bucket converge toward the front of the bucket and form a funnel that directs the flowable material to the exit opening. The construction of the apparatus is such that the user can view the pour at all times and, thereby, reduce spillage and waste. An alternate embodiment includes a tilting mechanism that provides for attachment of the bucket to a forklift and for tilting of the bucket. A removable chute allows the pour opening to be extended further from the front of the bucket.

Claims

1. A controllable dispensing bucket apparatus comprising:

a bucket having an upper open portion adapted to receive a flowable material therein and an exit opening that is sufficiently large to permit the flowable material to exit therethrough;

the bucket adapted to be removably affixed to a loader vehicle;

gate means for selectively opening and sealingly closing the exit opening and controlling the size of the exit opening when the exit opening is open;

the gate means comprises;

a gate;

a pair of vertically extending slots on each side of the exit opening;

the gate extending between and slidably positioned in the slots;

so that the gate slides vertically in the slots to selectively open and sealingly close the exit opening and to control the size of the exit opening when the exit opening is open;

gate control means for actuating the gate means and controlling the position of the gate means--and, thus, the size of the exit opening--from within the loader vehicle when the bucket is functionally attached to the loader vehicle; and

guard means for encasing and protecting the hydraulic cylinder and the gate while still permitting the flow of flowable material from the bucket.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the gate control means comprises:

a hydraulic cylinder having a movable ram;

the hydraulic cylinder attached to the bucket;

the movable ram attached to the gate;

the loader vehicle has a hydraulic power system;

the hydraulic cylinder in flow communication with and controlled by the hydraulic power system when the bucket is functionally attached to the loader vehicle;

so that a user in the loader vehicle controlling the hydraulic power system controls the hydraulic cylinder and the ram movement and, thus, the movement and position of the gate.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the guard means comprises:

the bucket has a front and a bottom;

the exit opening positioned at the front of the bucket;

a guard chute extends from the front of the bucket and has a front exit, a top, a bottom, and a pair of sides;

the guard chute has a height at least as great as the height of the bucket and a width at least as great as the width of the exit opening;

so that the guard chute encircles the exit opening and the gate;

the guard chute defines a cavity through which flowable material may flow;

the gate constructed so that when fully open it does not contact the top of the chute;

the bottom of the bucket and the bottom of the chute are level with one another;

a cylinder mounting bracket attached to the top of the guard chute;

the top of the guard chute defines a hole therethrough;

the hydraulic cylinder pivotally attached to the cylinder mounting bracket and extends downward through the hole in the top of the guard chute;

the guard chute is sufficiently long to enclose the hydraulic cylinder; and

a porous front cover that extends the full width of the front exit of the guard chute and covers at least a portion of height of the front exit of the guard chute.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising;

a flapper door having a top and a bottom;

the flapper door extends the full width of the front exit of the guard chute;

the top of the flapper door connected to the front exit of the guard chute by a hinged connection intermediate the top and the bottom of the guard chute;

the flapper door extends downward so that its bottom is proximal the bottom of the guard chute; and

the porous front cover the portion of the front exit of the guard chute not covered by the flapper door.

5. A dispensing bucket apparatus comprising:

a bucket having an upper open portion adapted to receive a flowable material therein and an exit opening that is sufficiently large to permit the flowable material to exit therethrough;

gate means for selectively opening and sealingly closing the exit opening and controlling the size of the exit opening when the exit opening is open;

the bucket adapted to be removably affixed to a forklift;

gate control means for actuating the gate means and controlling the position of the gate means--and, thus, the size of the exit opening--from within the forklift when the bucket is functionally attached to the forklift; and

a tilting mechanism adapted to tilt the bucket relative to the forklift.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the tilting mechanism comprises:

the bucket having a front and a back and a top and a bottom;

a frame pivotally attached to a bottom of the bucket proximal the front of the bucket;

a hydraulic cylinder operatively attached to the frame and to the back of the bucket;

the forklift having a hydraulic power system;

the hydraulic cylinder in fluid communication with the hydraulic power system of the forklift when the bucket is functionally attached to the forklift; and

so that a user controlling the hydraulic power system controls the hydraulic cylinder position and, thus, may effect lifting and lowering of the back of the bucket causing rotation and tilting of the bucket.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising the frame having a pair of side beams adapted and positioned to receive a forklift lifting finger therein.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the frame having an axle proximal its front end;

a bearing block attached to the bottom of the bucket defining a passageway therethrough adapted to rotatably receive the axle therein; and

so that the axle and the bearing block rotatably connect the frame to the bucket.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a hydraulic cylinder adapted to open and close the gate means in fluid communication with the hydraulic power system; and

the hydraulic cylinder attached to the back of the bucket and adapted to lift and lower the back of the bucket and the hydraulic cylinder adapted to open and close the gate means in fluid communication with one another.

10. A dispensing bucket apparatus comprising:

a bucket having an upper open portion adapted to receive a flowable material therein and an exit opening that is sufficiently large to permit the flowable material to exit therethrough;

gate means for selectively opening and sealingly closing the exit opening and controlling the size of the exit opening when the exit opening is open;

the bucket adapted to be removably affixed to a loader vehicle;

a chute defining a cavity therethrough removably attachable to the bucket with the cavity in fluid communication with the exit opening; and

so that the flowable material flows from the bucket, through the exit opening, and through the chute.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the cross sectional area of the cavity of the chute is substantially equal to the cross sectional area of the exit opening when the exit opening is fully open.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the width of the cavity of the chute is substantially equal to the width of the exit opening and the height of the cavity of the chute is at least as great as the height of the exit opening when the exit opening is fully open.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a bottom of the cavity of the chute is slightly below the bottom of the exit opening.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the chute has a length of at least one foot.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the chute has a length of at least two feet.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the chute has a length of at least two feet, six inches.