Sorting and sifting methods and apparatus, and loader attachments and methods

• US 9,732,496 B1
• Filed: 03/25/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monumental Machining, LLC
• Original Assignee: Newmax Inc.
• Inventors: Newman, Christopher Martin, Maestas, Ronald Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Matthews, Terrell
• Application Number:
  US15/081,792
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 209420, 209421, 209405, 37406
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/005 Transportable screening plants
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/12 Apparatus having only parallel elements
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/4618 Manufacturing of screening surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/40 Dippers; Buckets ; Grab devices, e.g. manufacturing processes for buckets, form, geometry or material of buckets devices to connect tools to arms or booms E02F3/3604; teeth therefor E02F9/28
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/401 Buckets or forks comprising, for example, shock absorbers, supports or load striking scrapers to prevent overload
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/962 Mounting of implements directly on tools already attached to the machine E02F3/404 and E02F3/8152 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 7/06 Delivery chutes or screening plants or mixing plants mounted on dredgers or excavators for back-filling E02F5/226 takes precedence; separating equipment in general B03; delivery chutes in general B65G

Abstract

An attachment configured to be captured and lifted by a bucket of a vehicle includes a back end proximate the bucket, in operation; a left side; a right side; a front end distal from the bucket, the front end defining a bottom surface; connection means for receiving a forward edge of the bucket, wherein the bucket can engage and lift the attachment; and means defining a material handling area between the left side, right side, front end, and back end, the material handling area including apertures for sifting, wherein material rolls up into the material handling area when the attachment moves forward so that material can be sifted in the sifting area.

Claims

1. A retrofit sifter-sorter attachment configured to be captured and lifted by a bucket of an existing vehicle from a position resting on the ground, the bucket having a mouth and a back, the attachment comprising:

a back end, proximate the bucket in operation;

a left side defined by a left end piece;

a right side defined by a right end piece;

the left and right end pieces including aligned slots cut therein for receiving a forward edge of the bucket, wherein the bucket can engage and lift the attachment using the slots;

a front end, distal from the bucket in operation;

a plurality of spaced apart tines distributed between the left end piece and right end piece;

a lateral attachment bar connected to the left end piece, tines, and right end piece;

the tines, left end piece, and right end piece including respective upper surfaces and including respective lower surfaces, with which the attachment can rest on the ground prior to being engaged by the bucket;

the tines, left end piece, and right end piece including respective upper surfaces defining a curved material handling area in the general shape of a trough with upper surfaces lower than the upper surfaces of the tines, left end piece, and right end piece at the front end of the attachment when the attachment is resting on the ground, and the left end piece and right end piece having aligned apertures proximate the back end of the attachment;

a chain for securing the attachment to the bucket using the apertures; and

a front cutting blade extending from the lower surface of the left end piece to the lower surface of the right end piece, at the front end of the attachment, and the cutting blade being attached to the left end piece, right end piece, and the tines.

2. A sifter-sorter attachment in accordance with claim 1 wherein the material handling area extends downwardly from the uppermost surface of the tines, left end piece, and right end piece.

3. A sifter-sorter attachment in accordance with claim 1 wherein the respective tines have the same shape as the right and left end pieces.

4. A sifter-sorter attachment in accordance with claim 1 wherein respective lower surfaces of the tines, left end piece, and right end piece can rest on the ground.

5. A sifter-sorter attachment in accordance with claim 1 wherein the tines, left side, and right side include a peak forward of the material handling area extending upwardly from the material handling area then down toward the lower surface, wherein material rolls up then down into the material handling area when the attachment moves forward and wherein material can be sifted between the tines.

6. A sifter-sorter attachment in accordance with claim 1 wherein the tines have slots aligned with the slots of the left end piece and right end piece.

7. A sifter-sorter attachment in accordance with claim 6 wherein the slots of respective tines include an upper, downwardly facing surface that, in operation, faces an inner surface of a bucket, and an opposed lower upwardly facing surface that, in operation, faces an outer surface of the bucket.

8. A sifter-sorter attachment in accordance with claim 7 wherein the tines respectively have back ends that include downwardly extending notches in the upwardly facing surfaces, the attachment further including a cross bar, wherein the notches receive and are connected to the cross bar.

9. An attachment configured to be captured and lifted by a bucket of a vehicle, the attachment comprising:

a back end proximate the bucket, in operation;

a left side defined by a left end piece including a vertical surface and including a lower surface;

a right side defined by a right end piece including a vertical surface and a lower surface;

a front end distal from the bucket, the front end defining a bottom surface;

slots cut in the vertical surfaces of the left end piece and right end piece, the slots each including an open back end, lower surface, upper surface spaced apart from, parallel to, and opposing the bottom surface, and a front surface extending downwardly and forwardly at an angle from the upper surface to the lower surface of each slot, the slots being aligned with each other to receive a forward edge of the bucket, wherein the bucket can engage and lift the attachment and wherein different sized buckets can be received in the slots and engage different locations along the angled front surfaces of the slots; and

a plurality of spaced apart tines each having left and right major vertical surfaces facing the major vertical surface of another tine or facing the left end piece or the right end piece, the tines together defining a material handling area between the left side, right side, front end, and back end, the material handling area including apertures for sifting, wherein material rolls up into the material handling area when the attachment moves forward so that material can be sifted in the sifting area.

10. An attachment in accordance with claim 9 wherein the left side is defined by a left end piece in the general shape of a vertical rhombus and the right side is defined by a right end piece in the general shape of a vertical partial rhombus.

11. An attachment in accordance with claim 9 and further comprising slots cut in the vertical surfaces of the tines, the slots each including an open back end, lower surface, upper surface spaced apart from, parallel to, and opposing the bottom surface, and a front surface extending downwardly and forwardly at an angle from the upper surface to the lower surface of each slot, the slots being aligned with each other and with the slots of the left and right end pieces for receiving the forward edge of the bucket.

12. An attachment in accordance with claim 9 and shaped such that after sifting, remaining material can be rolled into the bucket.

13. An attachment in accordance with claim 9 and further comprising a plurality of spaced apart tines between the left end piece and the right end piece, the tines having upper surfaces defining, at least in part, the material handling area, the spaces between the tines defining, at least in part, the apertures for sifting.

14. An attachment in accordance with claim 9 wherein the front end is defined by a blade member extending from the left end piece to the right end piece, the blade further defining a bottom surface.

15. A material sifting method comprising:

providing a sifter-sorter attachment configured to be captured and lifted by a bucket of a vehicle, the attachment having a back end proximate the bucket, in operation;

a left side;

a right side;

a front end distal from the bucket, the front end defining a bottom surface;

a cutting bar extending across the bottom surface at the front end;

slots for receiving a forward edge of the bucket;

a material handling area between the left side, right side, front end, and back end, the material handling area including upper surfaces that are lower than upper surfaces at the front end of the attachment, and the material handling area including apertures for sifting;

the method comprising;

engaging the front edge of a bucket of a front end loader into the slots of the sifter-sorter attachment;

moving the front end loader forward to scoop up material into the material handling area of the attachment, wherein material rolls up then down into the material handling area when the attachment moves forward; and

lifting the bucket to lift the attachment, so that material can be sifted in the sifting area, with smaller material falling through the apertures and larger material remaining.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15 and further comprising, after the lifting, lowering the bucket to place the attachment on a surface and backing the front end loader away from the attachment to separate the attachment from the bucket.

17. A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein the attachment includes apertures near the back end, the method further comprising using the apertures to chain the attachment to the bucket.

18. A method in accordance with claim 15 and further comprising manufacturing the attachment by providing a left end piece, right end piece, cross beam, and a plurality of tines between the left end piece and right end piece, the manufacturing comprising:

determining the dimensions of the bucket with which the attachment will be used;

cutting metal to define the left end piece, right end piece, cross beam, and tines, appropriate for the dimensions of the bucket;

cutting the left end piece, right end piece, and tines to define the slots;

arranging and fixing the positions of the cut left end piece, right end piece, and tines in a fixture for arranging the spacing between the tines, left end piece, and right end piece; and

welding the cross beam to the left end piece, right end piece, and plurality of tines to define the sifter-sorter.