1. A metallurgical furnace comprising:
a vessel having a maximum filling height defined therein,
a cover coupled to the vessel,
a projection mounted to one of the cover and the vessel and having a charging opening defined therein,
a waste gas extraction opening defined in a lateral side of the projection,
a charging apparatus arranged and constructed to charge material to be smelted into the vessel, the charging apparatus comprising at least first and second self-supporting material baskets arranged and constructed to be alternatively positioned above the projection, each basket defining an internal space and having a pivotable retaining means arranged and constructed to close an underside of the basket, wherein at least one space is defined in the pivotable retaining means to permit passage of hot gas emanating from the vessel into the internal space, wherein the pivotable retaining means is pivotable into the projection when material to be smelted is charged into the vessel, but the pivotable retaining means do not pivot below the maximum filling height, and
means for positioning the material basket above the projection and for exchanging the first material basket with the second material basket.
2. A furnace according to claim 1, wherein the waste gas extraction opening is defined in the projection below the range of pivotal movement of the pivotable retaining means.
3. A furnace according to claim 2, wherein the waste gas extraction opening is defined above the maximum filling height.
4. A furnace according to claim 1, wherein the first and second material baskets each comprise at least one heat-retaining panel disposed on at least one inner side wall thereof.
5. A furnace according to claim 1, wherein the pivotable retaining means comprises a plurality of pivotable fingers, each being pivotable to a position below a bottom edge of respective side walls of the material basket, wherein the fingers are steel fingers, each having a thickness of at least 100 millimeters.
6. A furnace according to claim 1, wherein the projection comprises water-cooled elements and the material baskets do not comprise any water-cooled elements.
7. A furnace according to claim 1, further comprising an actuating member mounted on each material basket, the actuating member being arranged and constructed to actuate the pivotable fingers in order to open and close the underside of the material basket.
8. A furnace according to claim 1, wherein the moving means comprises a rotary turret arranged and constructed to exchangeably support the first and second material baskets via respective cantilever arms above the projection.
9. A furnace according to claim 1, further comprising an upwardly and downwardly movable extraction device disposed substantially vertically above the projection, the extraction device being arranged and constructed to
(i) sealingly contact an upper portion of the material basket disposed above the projection, when the extraction device is disposed in a downward position, so as to remove hot gases that rise upwardly through the projection and the material basket and
(ii) collect hot gases that rise upwardly from the projection, when the extraction device is disposed in a upward position that permits the first and second material baskets to be exchanged.
10. A furnace according to claim 1, further comprising means for injecting at least one of fuel and oxygen into the projection.
11. A furnace according to claim 10, further comprising a post-combustion chamber in communication with the projection and being arranged and constructed to incinerate pollutants exhausted from the vessel.
12. A furnace according to claim 11, further comprising:
a waste gas analyzer disposed at the post-combustion chamber, and
a controller arranged and constructed to control the injecting means based upon instructions from the waste gas analyzer.
13. A furnace according to claim 1, further comprising:
an extraction opening defined in the projection below the range of pivotal movement of the retaining means, but above the maximum filling height,
an actuating member mounted on each material basket, wherein the pivotable retaining means comprises a plurality of pivotable steel fingers that are pivotable to a position below a bottom edge of the side wall of the material basket, the actuation member being arranged and constructed to actuate the pivotable fingers in order to open and close the underside of the material basket,
a cover arranged and constructed to close the charging opening,
an extraction device disposed substantially perpendicularly with respect to the projection and above the charging device, the extraction device being arranged and constructed to suction hot gases that rise upwardly through the projection,
means for injecting at least one of fuel and oxygen into the projection,
a post-combustion chamber in communication with the projection and the extraction device and being arranged and constructed to incinerate pollutants exhausted from the vessel,
a waste gas analyzer disposed at the post-combustion chamber, and
a controller arranged and constructed to control the injecting means based upon instructions from the waste gas analyzer, and
wherein each material basket comprises at least one heat-retaining panel disposed on at least one inner side wall thereof and the changing means is arranged and constructed to pivot the material baskets in at least one of a horizontal plane and a vertical plane in order to exchange the first material basket with the second material basket.
14. A self-supporting material basket suitable for receiving scrap metal comprising:
a plurality of side walls defining an internal space having a cross-section that is substantially rectangular or convexly polygonal in a horizontal direction, the side walls being arranged and constructed to removably couple to a furnace vessel, and
a first plurality of fingers pivotably coupled via a first shaft to a lower portion of a first one of the side walls,
a second plurality of fingers pivotably coupled via a second shaft to a lower portion of a second one of the side walls that opposes the first one of the side walls,
wherein each of the first and second plurality of fingers has a length approximately half the length of the internal space in the horizontal direction, intervening spaces are defined between the first and second plurality of fingers for permitting gas to pass therethrough, the fingers are arranged and constructed to be disposed in a closed position of an underside of the internal space in a plane substantially perpendicular to the side walls and ends of the fingers are adapted to be supported in the closed position by a support disposed on a carriage, and
an actuating member coupled to the plurality of fingers and being arranged and constructed to pivot the fingers so as to open and close the underside of the internal space.
15. A material basket according to claim 14, wherein the material basket is arranged and constructed to be held by a change device and to be pivotable with respect to the furnace vessel along a first radius of curvature, and at least one of the side walls has a convex configuration with a second radius of curvature in the horizontal direction, the first radius of curvature being substantially equal to the second radius of curvature.
16. A material basket according to claim 15, wherein the side walls and fingers are arranged and constructed to hold at least 50 tons of scrap material.
17. A material basket according to claim 16, wherein the side walls and fingers are arranged and constructed to withstand a temperature of at least about 500\xb0 C. for at least about 20 minutes.
18. A metallurgical furnace comprising:
a furnace vessel,
a cover covering at least a portion of an upper side of the furnace vessel,
a vertically-oriented projection mounted on one of the cover and the upper side of the furnace vessel, wherein the projection extends above an upper edge of the furnace vessel and includes an upwardly-facing opening for receiving material to be smelted in the furnace vessel,
means for injecting at least one of fuel and oxygen into the projection,
at least first and second material baskets arranged and constructed to hold and charge the material to be smelted into the vessel via the upwardly-facing opening of the projection, each basket having a pivotable material retaining means arranged and constructed to close an underside of the basket, at least one space being defined in the pivotable retaining means for permitting passage of hot gases emanating from the furnace vessel via the projection into an interior of the material basket, and wherein the pivotable retaining means and the projection are dimensioned such that ends of the pivotable retaining means are pivotable into an interior of the projection when the material to be smelted is being charged into the vessel, but the ends of the pivotable retaining means are not pivotable below a maximum filling height of the furnace, and
means for moving the first and second materials basket to as to alternately position the first and second material baskets above the projection for charging the furnace vessel with the material to be smelted via the projection.
19. A furnace according to claim 18, further comprising a waste gas extraction opening defined in a lateral side of the projection, the waste gas extraction opening being defined in the projection above the maximum filling height of the furnace and below the range of pivotal movement of the pivotable retaining means of the material baskets.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A computer-implemented method for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web, said method comprising:
providing a Web server in communication with a Web merchant’s on-line Web application and a database;
communicating a Web page for display on a multi-media device, where the Web page comprises a graphical user interface configured to generate a list of multiple Point-of-Service applications which may be accessed by the user over the Web and to accept user input;
allowing the user to select an on-line Point-of-Service application displayed on the Web page on the multi-media device;
instructing a Web server to hand over a request by the user to access the Web merchant’s on-line service Web application available through the Point-of-Service application, said Web merchant’s on-line service Web application available over the Web and in communication with the Web merchant’s database;
maintaining an open connection over the Web until the user’s transaction with the on-line Web application is complete;
delivering said particular Point-of-Service application in real-time to the multi-media device across a service network over the Web; and
performing a real-time non-deferred bidirectional Web transaction requested by the user.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said request is handed over to an exchange from the Web application.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the Point of Service application connects to the on-line service in real-time to provide inter-merchant services or intra-merchant services over the Web.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said Point-of-Service application allows a user to buy or sell over the Web.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said Point-of-Service application is a banking application that operates to connect to a financial institution over the Web.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said Point-of-Service application is available for playing or billing over the Web.
7. A system for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web, said system comprising:
a server comprising memory and a processor which comprise program instructions executable by the processor to implement Web application transactions over the application layer of the OSI model;
a Web server programmed to deliver a Web page displaying multiple Point-of-Service applications on a multi-media device for access by a user, where the Point-of-Service applications may be selected by the user to provide access to a Web Merchant’s on line services, and providing for two-way communication between a Web Merchant’s on-line Web application and the user;
instructions for the Web server to hand over the user’s request to access a Point-of-Service application and to mediate the interactions between the user and the interface of the Web Merchant’s on line service during at least one real-time transaction being through a graphical user interface displayed on the Web page on the user’s multi-media device;
component connecting the Point of Service application on the web page to the on-line Web merchant’s service over the Web with instructions for allowing the user to bi-directionally retrieve data stored on Web merchant’s database and for writing data to the database in real-time, so that user and Web merchant can perform a non-deferred transaction.
8. The system for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web of claim 7, wherein said request is handed over to an exchange component from a Web application.
9. The system for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web of claim 7, wherein the Point of Service application connects to the on line service to provide inter-merchant services or intra-merchant services over the Web.
10. The system for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web of claim 7, wherein said Point-of-Service application allows a user to complete a purchasing transaction in real-time over the Web.
11. The system for delivering Point-of-Service applications to a multi-media device over the World Wide Web of claim 7, wherein said Point-of-Service application is a banking application that operates to connect to a financial institution over the Web.
12. A Web application on line service network portal offered by a Web merchant, delivering Web applications to a multi-media device, said portal comprising a non-transitory computer storage device having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system, implement a method for:
delivering a Point-of-Service application interface on a Web page by the Web merchant to expose to an online services offered by the Web merchant as a Web application, said Web application including at least one object comprising information entries and attributes, wherein the object exposes one or more objects of a line of Web applications to the user;
providing said Point-of-Service application interface to allow a user to access the Web application from the Web application on-line service network portal offered by the Web merchant, delivering Web applications to the multi-media device;
connecting to the Web application on-line service, allowing the Web application on-line service client user access to the Web application on-line service; and
maintaining the connection open until the Web application on-line service client user’s real-time Web transaction with the Web application on-line service is complete so that the user may perform a real-time, non-deferred, bidirectional transaction on the Web.
13. The switching component of the web application service network portal offered by the Web merchant, delivering Web applications to a multi-media device of claim 12, wherein said switching component comprises a routing switch within the application layer of the OSI model to perform application layer routing.
14. The web application service network portal of claim 12, wherein said instructions include a handoff message from the Web server when the Web service client user requests said particular Web application to be accessed.