Patents
US 8556066 B2: Bulk material leveling and volumetric measuring and feeding apparatus
- Granted
- 2013-10-15
- Filed
- 2011-04-11 application 13066282
- Type
- Utility · 28 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
A bulk material leveling and volumetric measuring and feeding apparatus includes a conveyor for transporting bulk material from a hopper to a leveling assembly. The leveling assembly includes a pair of augers located perpendicular to the conveyor and with the auger terminal ends at a desired height from the conveyor. Side walls are provided parallel to the conveyor direction of travel and extend up to the auger terminal ends. Each auger is positioned within a semicircular longitudinal channel of a trough. Bulk material being transported and which is located above the augers terminal ends is lifted by the augers and thrown back towards the hopper. Thus, bulk material being transported under and beyond the leveling assembly is maintained at a desired depth. By monitoring and/or controlling the conveyor speed and the depth of the transported bulk material, the volumetric feed rate and total volume of transported material can be determined and/or controlled. The height of the leveling assembly above the conveyor is selectively adjustable. A shutoff gate is provided downstream of the leveling assembly.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg131015.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rethceif Enterprises, LLC 5 patents | US company or organization | Bluffton, IN | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Allen Honegger | Bluffton, IN | 4 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| B65G | Transport or storage devices, e.g. conveyors for loading or tipping, shop conveyor systems or pneumatic tube conveyors | B65G69/0433 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-03 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | RETHCEIF ENTERPRISES, LLC signed 2023-12-29 | RETHCEIF PACKAGING, LLC OSSIAN, IN | 66006/641 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2011-04-11 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | HONEGGER, CHRIS ALLEN signed 2011-04-11 | RETHCEIF ENTERPRISES, LLC BLUFFTON, IN | 26213/843 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.