Material reducing machines have long been used for reducing material from larger-sized components to smaller-sized components. Such reduction may be desirable for any one or more reasons including, for example, transportability, re-usability, and/or degradability.
In general, these machines operate by conveying un-reduced material toward a rotor having projections thereon, which may direct the material up and over the rotor into an overlying fixed anvil or anvil bar located in close proximity to the projections thereby breaking the material into smaller-sized components.
Known material-reducing machines may not be suitable or desirable for all types of materials, particularly if there is a possibility that reduction-resistant object may be encountered. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,273 issued to Linnerz (“Linnerz”) discloses a material-reducing machine including an open hydraulic system that includes a hydraulic cylinder, a pressure relief valve, and an open receiving tank as the structure to provide for what it calls “resilient deflection” of its outlet wall. Linnerz, however, fails to include a biasing arrangement for urging or causing the outlet wall to move back to its operating position, such that the outlet wall remains deflected away, requiring operator intervention to close the outlet wall.
Some material-reducing machines are configured with a shear pin that breaks when a reduction-resistant object is encountered, resulting in the bypass wall pivoting open. As a result, the processing operation must be shut down and the shear pin must be replaced.
In still other cases, even more undesirable problems could result from a material-reducing machine encountering reduction-resistant material including, for example, damage to the machine, potentially leading to costly repairs or replacement thereof.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds