Pebble feeding apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN CONJUCTION WITH A PEBBLE HEATING APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF PEBBLES THERETHROUGH, WHICH COMPRISES A GAS-TIGHT PRESSURE-RESISTING HOUSING, PEBBLE INLET MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A CONTIGUOUS MASS OF PEBBLES INTO SAID HOUSING, A ROTATABLE MULTIGROOVED DRUM HORIZONTALLY POSITIONED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND IN THE LINE OF FLOW OF PEBBLES INTRODUCED THERETO, MEANS FOR VARIABLE SPEED ROTATION OF SAID DRUM AND THEREBY CAUSING CONTROLLED FLOW OF PEBBLES FROM SAID INLET OVER SAID DRUM AND INTO THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOUSING, SIDEPLATES FOR PREVENTING THE FLOW OF PEBBLES OVER THE UPPER OUTSIDE EDGES OF SAID DRUM, GROOVES IN SAID DRUM TERMINATING AT A POINT WITHIN THE INER EDGES OF SAID SIDE-PLATES, SAID GROOVES BEING OF A DEPTH IN THE RANGE OF 1/4 TO 1 PEBBLE DIAMETER AND WITH A WIDTH IN THE RANGE OF 1 TO 13/4 PEBBLE DIAMETERS, AN EXTERNALLY ADJUSTABLE GATE WITHIN SAID HOUSING ABOVE SAID PEBBLE INLET AND SAID DRUM AND PARALLEL TO SAID DRUM AND BETWEEN SAID SIDE-PLATES, A SHAFT RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO SAID GATE AND SUPPORTED AT EACH END BY SAID SIDE-PLATES, SAID SHAFT BEING HORIZONTALLY POSITIONED TO ONE SIDE OF A VERTICAL PLANE PASSING THROUGH THE CENTER OF ROTATION OF SAID DRUM AND IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SHAFT FROM A POSITION WHEREBY SAID GATE HANGS IN A VERTICAL POSITION TOUCHING SAID DRUM TO A HORIZONTAL POSITION WHEREBY SAID GATE EXTENDS FROM SAID SHAFT IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, RESTRICTIVE MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR PREVENTING THE FLOW OF PEBBLES THROUGH SAID HOUSING COUNTERCURRENT TO THE ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, SAID RESTRICTIVE MEANS BEING SO PLACED THAT ITS PLANE INTERSECTS SAID DRUM ABOVE A HORIZONTAL PLANE THROUGH THE CENTER OF ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, AND MEANS FOR REMOVING PEBBLES FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOUSING.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN CONJUCTION WITH A PEBBLE HEATING APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF PEBBLES THERETHROUGH, WHICH COMPRISES A GAS-TIGHT PRESSURE-RESISTING HOUSING, PEBBLE INLET MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A CONTIGUOUS MASS OF PEBBLES INTO SAID HOUSING, A ROTATABLE MULTIGROOVED DRUM HORIZONTALLY POSITIONED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND IN THE LINE OF FLOW OF PEBBLES INTRODUCED THERETO, MEANS FOR VARIABLE SPEED ROTATION OF SAID DRUM AND THEREBY CAUSING CONTROLLED FLOW OF PEBBLES FROM SAID INLET OVER SAID DRUM AND INTO THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOUSING, SIDEPLATES FOR PREVENTING THE FLOW OF PEBBLES OVER THE UPPER OUTSIDE EDGES OF SAID DRUM, GROOVES IN SAID DRUM TERMINATING AT A POINT WITHIN THE INER EDGES OF SAID SIDE-PLATES, SAID GROOVES BEING OF A DEPTH IN THE RANGE OF 1/4 TO 1 PEBBLE DIAMETER AND WITH A WIDTH IN THE RANGE OF 1 TO 13/4 PEBBLE DIAMETERS, AN EXTERNALLY ADJUSTABLE GATE WITHIN SAID HOUSING ABOVE SAID PEBBLE INLET AND SAID DRUM AND PARALLEL TO SAID DRUM AND BETWEEN SAID SIDE-PLATES, A SHAFT RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO SAID GATE AND SUPPORTED AT EACH END BY SAID SIDE-PLATES, SAID SHAFT BEING HORIZONTALLY POSITIONED TO ONE SIDE OF A VERTICAL PLANE PASSING THROUGH THE CENTER OF ROTATION OF SAID DRUM AND IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SHAFT FROM A POSITION WHEREBY SAID GATE HANGS IN A VERTICAL POSITION TOUCHING SAID DRUM TO A HORIZONTAL POSITION WHEREBY SAID GATE EXTENDS FROM SAID SHAFT IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, RESTRICTIVE MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR PREVENTING THE FLOW OF PEBBLES THROUGH SAID HOUSING COUNTERCURRENT TO THE ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, SAID RESTRICTIVE MEANS BEING SO PLACED THAT ITS PLANE INTERSECTS SAID DRUM ABOVE A HORIZONTAL PLANE THROUGH THE CENTER OF ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, AND MEANS FOR REMOVING PEBBLES FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOUSING.