Waste processing machine

• US 6,299,082 B1
• Filed: 05/01/1998
• Issued: 10/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Smoracy LLC
• Original Assignee: Leward N. Smith
• Inventors: Smith, Leward N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, Mark
• Application Number:
  US09/071,237
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 241/186.35, 241/200, 241/185.1
• US Class Current: 241/186.35
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 18/145 with knives spaced axially and circumferentially on the periphery of a cylindrical rotor unit
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 18/225 of conveyor belt and cooperating roller type

Abstract

A waste processing machine according to the invention is ideally suited for reducing virtually any products. The waste processing machine includes a rotor having multiple processing tools pivotally mounted thereon wherein each tool is adapted to self-limit the depth of the cut into the waste material. In addition, the pivotally mounted processing tools are staggered and spaced along the length of the rotor so that a limited number of tools will contact the waste product at any one point in time. Once the processing tool cuts or otherwise reduces the waste product to smaller bits of waste material, the bits are drawn out of the rotor system by screens having angled surfaces formed thereon.

Claims

1. A waste processing machine for reducing waste material comprising:

a rotor assembly having a rotor rotatable about an axis and a plurality of reducing members mounted to said rotor to reduce the waste material; and

an infeed conveyor disposed adjacent said rotor assembly and having an infeed end extending longitudinally to a discharge end, said infeed end and said discharge end being positioned on an infeed side of said rotor, said discharge end being positioned longitudinally on an infeed side of said rotor and vertically a distance at a point at or below the axis of said rotor so that a primary reducing operation of the waste material takes place beyond and longitudinally forward of said discharge end of said infeed conveyor on the infeed side of said rotor, said conveyor being the sole means of support for the waste material and acting as a primary anvil for said reducing members to perform the primary reducing operation on the waste material.

2. A waste processing machine for reducing dirty waste material having non-grindables therein comprising:

a rotor assembly having a rotor rotatable about an axis and a plurality of reducing members pivotally mounted to said rotor to reduce the dirty waste material, and reducing members being staggered in a helical pattern about the periphery of the rotor so that only a limited number of reducing members are adapted to pass through a line parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor at any one point in time; and

an infeed conveyor disposed adjacent said rotor assembly and having an infeed end extending longitudinally to a discharge end, said infeed end and said discharge end being positioned on an infeed side of said rotor, said discharge end being positioned longitudinally on the infeed side of said rotor and vertically a distance between a point at or below the axis of said rotor so that a primary cutting operation of the dirty waste material takes place beyond and longitudinally forward of said discharge end of said infeed conveyor on the infeed side of said rotor, said conveyor being adapted to be the sole means of support for the dirty waste material and acting as a primary anvil for said reducing members to perform the primary cutting operation on the dirty waste material.

3. A waste processing machine for reducing wood product contaminated with non-regrindables comprising:

rotor means forming a rotor rotatable about an axis;

reducing means mounted to said rotor means for reducing the wood product as said rotor means rotates; and

infeed means disposed adjacent said rotor means and having an infeed end extending longitudinally to a discharge end, said infeed end and said discharge end being positioned on an infeed side of said rotor means, said discharge end being positioned longitudinally on the infeed side of said rotor means and vertically a distance at a point at or below the axis of said rotor means for allowing a primary reducing operation of the wood product to take place beyond and longitudinally forward of said discharge end of said infeed means on the infeed side of said rotor means and for solely supporting the wood product contaminated with non-regrindables and for acting as an anvil for said reducing means for performing the primary reducing operation on the wood product.