The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 30, 1996
Filed:
May. 28, 1993
Richard D Nathenson, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Jerome Apt, Jr, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Martin J Uram, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Paul M Brumbaugh, North Versailles, PA (US);
Gary H Brawley, Columbus, OH (US);
Donald J Hackman, Upper Arlington, OH (US);
Brian Christenson, Columbus, OH (US);
Electric Power Research Institute, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
An excavation head, mounted on one end of a telescoping hollow boom, has nozzles for directing jets of high speed air at an excavation face to loosen soil. A vacuum transport pipe extends from the excavation head through the hollow of the boom to a spherical joint. The spherical joint movably joins the other end of the boom to a primary separator. The primary separator is a chamber for disentraining loosened soil from air flowing through the primary separator. A primary air lock is fixed to the lower portion of the primary separator for expelling soil from the primary separator. A secondary separator is joined to the primary separator by way of a separator connector pipe. A secondary air lock is fixed to the lower portion of the secondary separator for expelling soil from the secondary separator. A positive displacement vacuum pump has its vacuum side pneumatically connected to the secondary separator. A conveyor is located under both the primary air lock and the secondary air lock to receive soil that is expelled by these air locks. Hydraulic actuators lift, swing, and extend the boom such that the excavation head is positioned on the excavation face.