Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
186 words
Apparatus for disposing of materials packed in bags and the like, said apparatus comprising a main duct having opposite ends, a fan in said main duct, at least one infeed ducT opening into the main duct downstream of said fan, a single gate located at one of said ends of the duct and serving as an outlet, said duct being completely open and non-obturated between said fan and said gate, said gate opening outwards and being constantly urged to a closed position, a non-return valve coupled to said main duct to connect said main duct to the atmosphere, said nonreturn valve being disposed in the immediate vicinity upstream of said outlet of the main duct, and at least one propulsive means coupled to said main duct at a location between said infeed duct and said outlet for producing suction in said main duct to promote advance of the material in said main duct until the material reaches said propulsive means whereupon said propulsive means produces pressure in said main duct to urge the material further downstream towards said outlet concurrently with the pressure of said fan.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
186 words
Apparatus for disposing of materials packed in bags and the like, said apparatus comprising a main duct having opposite ends, a fan in said main duct, at least one infeed ducT opening into the main duct downstream of said fan, a single gate located at one of said ends of the duct and serving as an outlet, said duct being completely open and non-obturated between said fan and said gate, said gate opening outwards and being constantly urged to a closed position, a non-return valve coupled to said main duct to connect said main duct to the atmosphere, said nonreturn valve being disposed in the immediate vicinity upstream of said outlet of the main duct, and at least one propulsive means coupled to said main duct at a location between said infeed duct and said outlet for producing suction in said main duct to promote advance of the material in said main duct until the material reaches said propulsive means whereupon said propulsive means produces pressure in said main duct to urge the material further downstream towards said outlet concurrently with the pressure of said fan.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
195 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said propulsive assembly comprises two pipes each having one end connected to the atmosphere and an opposite end connected to the main duct, the first of said pipes being disposed downstream of the other pipe along said main duct by a distance only slightly greater than the length of one bag of material to be conveyed in said main duct, a further pipe connecting said two pipes together, a one-way fan in said further pipe, and a closure valve in each of said two pipes, each closure valve having two positions, in the first of which the downstream pipe is closed to the atmosphere and open to the duct while the upstream pipe is closed to the duct and open to the atmosphere while in the second position the downstream pipe is closed to the duct and open to the atmosphere while the upstream pipe is closed to the atmosphere and open to the duct, so that one of said pipes is only used for sucking air into the main duct while the other of said pipes is only used for forcing air into the said main duct.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, comprising control means for said closure valves of said propulsive assembly for alternatively setting both closure valves in their respective positions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said control means comprises a sensor disposed downstream of said propulsive means for sensing the presence of a bag of material to adjust the positions of the valves.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, comprising sensing means in said infeed duct for sensing the presence of a bag of material and controlling operation of said fan in response thereto.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
69 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said sensing means is coupled to and controls the operation of the fan in the main duct, the fan in the further pipe and the closure valves so that the entire throughput of air pumped by the main fan is absorbed by the total suction throughput of said fan in the auxiliary pipe and possible discharge of air through the non-return valve.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said sensing means is coupled to said closure valves to control the operation thereof.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 comprising a sensor means in said main duct proximate said outlet for sensing the presence of a bag of material and controlling operation of said fan in response thereto.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the power of the fan in said further pipe is at least equal to the pressure loss occurring downstream of the main fan.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising means having an opening with a gate connected to said infeed duct for introduction of waste in addition to the material introduced in said infeed duct.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
51 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said gate includes a catch, and comprising a sensing means situated at the outlet of the main duct and associated with said gate for sensing the presence of a bag of material, for holding the gate in closed position when the fan is operating.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maximum throughput Through said non-return valve is at least equal to that of the main fan.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising a passage situated upstream of the fan and leading into said main duct for communication with a building into which said infeed duct opens.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 13 comprising a movable, adjustable closure member in said passage for adjusting the suction flow to the building.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
12 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-return valve is pre-loaded.