Color blending apparatus
US6382947B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 22, 2000 |
| Grant date | May 7, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 10, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB28C7/0481
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus for color blending an agglomerating flowable material from a differently colored individual batches, to mold a mottled heterogeneous product with material from at least two batches so that mottled products (i.e. with irregular arrangement of spots or confluent blotches of color) are produced from a relatively dry concrete mixture (zero slump concrete), which agglomerates into clumps that tumble randomly from individual hoppers containing individually colored concrete batches. By controlling positioning of a filling tray relative to a hopper outlet, the time sequencing and quantity of material released from each hopper outlet, it is possible to fill the filling tray in a large number of seemingly random mottled patterns where clumps of each of the individual colors remain visible in the molded product.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.