Rotary feeder for bulk material

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLED FEEDING OF BULK MATERIAL COMPRISING A CASING HAVING OPPOSED SIDE WALLS, AN INLET AT THE TOP AND AN OUTLET AT THE BOTTOM, A ROTOR JOURNALED IN SAID CASING BETWEEN AND IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID SIDE WALLS ON A HORIZONTAL AXIS BELOW SAID INLET, SAID ROTOR HAVING A CONTINUOUS PERIPHERAL RIM, MEANS WITHIN THE CASING PROVIDING RELATIVELY STATIONARY CYLINDRICAL SURFACES SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC WITH SAID RIM AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID RIM AND OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS, SAID RIM AND STATIONARY SURFACES FORMING THE INNER SIDE OF A MATERIAL FEED PASSAGE EXTENDING PERIPHERALLY OF THE ROTOR BETWEEN SAID INLET AND SAID OUTLET, COOPERATING MEANS ON THE CASING DEFINING THE OUTER SIDE OF SAID PASSAGE, SAID PASSAGE HAVING BEYOND SAID INLET A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICALLY CURVED THROAT OF SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT CROSS-SECTION LATERALLY EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS AND TERMINATING AT LEAST AT SAID OUTLET, AND PADDLES FIXED ON SAID ROTOR RIM AND PROJECTING THEREFROM HORIZONTALLY ON BOTH SIDES INTO SAID PASSAGE, SAID