The parent application, Ser. No. 08/155,252, which is incorporated herein by reference, teaches a fluent material dispensing apparatus having a hopper for receiving and holding fluent material. As used herein, "fluent material" means material which flows or is capable of flowing and is made up of relatively small particles, such as powders, sand, gravel, rocks, pebbles, dirt, soil, limestone wastes, cement, grain, fertilizer or and other granular or powdery material.
This invention teaches several improvements on the parent application. In particular, the invention teaches a hopper having two opposing sides which converge at the lower end of the hopper where the multiple discharge chutes and the auger are located. The auger rotates to direct the filler material toward the four discharge chutes located at the bottom of the hopper. The rotation of the auger helps maintain an even flow of filler material through the discharge chutes. The invention also teaches the utilization of a means to drive the auger consisting of an engine or motor connected to a hydraulic pump and hydraulic motor system, and a means to control the three states of the auger: clockwise rotation, counter-clockwise rotation and no rotation.
Although, other material handling devices are well known, such conventional equipment requires extensive material transmission apparatus and is not readily portable or self-contained. Furthermore, other material handling devices similar to the present invention do not teach a portable and efficient, power-driven mechanism for rotating an auger which moves fill material to the discharge openings so that blockages are eliminated and fill material flows constantly to the discharge openings. This invention overcomes the problems encountered by blockages often caused by moisture content within the fluent material. At the same time, this invention teaches a machine which is readily portable, having a self-contained auger power system.
The power system taught by this invention combines a conventional power source, such as a small-bore engine, with a hydraulic system, including a hydraulic pump and motor, connected by power transmission apparatus, to drive the auger. This relatively lightweight power system provides a material dispensing device that is easily portable on a trailer or in a truck bed, so that it may be taken on short notice to places where flooding occurs, or other form of material dispensing is needed.
Material handling devices of a screw conveyor type are known, an example of a device of this type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,271. However, that device has the shortcomings of requiring multiple augers necessary to discharge the filler material and also does not disclose a power-driven mechanism for rotating the auger. Similarly, French Patent No. 2641-262-A teaches a series of three augers adjacent to each discharge chute to reduce the risk of blockages. That device has the limitation that excessive numbers of augers are needed to discharge material from the hopper. Conversely, the present invention teaches a single auger which traverses the hopper and moves fill material to the multiple discharge chutes.