Salt conveying system for water softener
US5996852A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 10, 1998 |
| Grant date | Dec 7, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 10, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC02F1/42
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A material transport system for conveying water softener salt to a water softener brine tank located within a structure is disclosed. The material transport system includes a loading hopper having a removable lid that is secured to or adjacent a wall of the structure. Salt is fed into the upper end of the loading hopper and travels through the hopper to the lower end of the hopper where a downwardly sloping gravity feed sleeve is connected to the loading hopper. The feed sleeve is formed of a non-corrosive material and extends from the loading hopper through floors and walls of the structure to a lower level of the structure. At its lower end, the feed sleeve is connected to a storage hopper suspended in the lower level of the structure by a hanging framework attached to the underside of a floor of the structure located directly above the storage hopper. The feed sleeve is attached adjacent the upper end of the storage hopper, allowing the salt to migrate through the storage hopper to a dispensing spout connect to the lower end of the storage hopper. The dispensing spout is, in turn, connected to a feed mechanism located beneath the storage hopper. The feed mechanism includes a con…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.