Reciprocating plate feeder

Claim 1

IN A WITHDRAWAL-TYPE HEAVY-DUTY SERVICE RECIPROCATING FEED MECHANISM FOR USE IN FEEDING MATERIAL COMPRISING (A) MATERIAL CONTAINING AND SUPPLYING MEANS, (B) A FEEDER DECK MEANS, (C) AND SUSPENSION MEANS FOR RECIPROCABLY SUPPORTING SAID FEEDER DECK MEANS BENEATH THE DISCHARGE OF SAID MATERIAL CONTAINING AND SUPPLYING MEANS IN POSITION TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT SUCH MATERIAL THEREON FOR READY DISCHARGE THEREFROM, (D) SAID SUSPENSION MEANS BEING COMPRISED OF A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID SUPPORT RODS HAVING UPPER AND LOWER END PORTIONS, (E) AT LEAST TWO UPPER SUPPORT ROD MOUNTING ELEMENTS ONE OF WHICH IS FIXED ADJACENT EACH SIDE OF SAID DISCHARGE OPENING, (F) AT LEAST TWO OTHER SUPPORT ROD MOUNTING ELEMENTS ONE EACH OF WHICH IS CARRIED BY OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FEEDER DECK IN SUBSTANTIAL VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID UPPER ROD MOUNTING ELEMENTS, (G) EACH OF SAID UPPER ROD MOUNTING ELEMENTS HAVING AN UPWARDLY DIRECTED WEIGHT-BEARING SURFACE, (H) EACH OF SAID OTHER SUPPORT ROD MOUNTING ELEMENTS CARRIED BY SAID FEEDER DECK HAVING A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED WEIGHT-BEARING SURFACE, (I) WEIGHT-BEARING ELEMENTS CARRIED BY THE UPPER LOWER END PORTION OF EACH OF SAID RODS, (J) THE WEIGHT-BEARING ELEMENTS CARRIED BY THE UPPER END PORTION OF EACH OF SAID RODS HAVING A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED WEIGHT-BEARING SURFACE AND THE WEIGHT-BEARING ELEMENT CARRIED BY THE LOWER END PORTION OF EACH OF SAID RODS HAVING AN UPWARDLY DIRECTED WEIGHT-BEARING SURFACE, (K) THE WEIGHT-BEARING SURFACES OF EACH OF SAID ROD MOUNTING ELEMENTS ENGAGING AND COOPERATING WITH ONE OF SAID WEIGHT-BEARING SURFACES OF ONE OF SAID WEIGHT-BEARING ELEMENTS TO SUPPORT A PORTION OF THE WEIGHT OF SAID FEEDER DECK MEANS AND ITS LOAD, (L) THE END PORTIONS OF EACH OF SAID RODS EXTENDING THROUGH AN UNRESTRICTING PASSAGE IN ITS RESPECTIVE SUPPORT ROD MOUNTING ELEMENTS, (M) ONE OF SAID COOPERATING WEIGHT-BEARING SURFACES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT AND THE OTHER BEING CONVEX TO PROVIDE A ROCKING MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID SURFACES TO AVOID FRICTION AND PREVENT SAID RODS FROM FLEXING DURING RECIPROCATION OF SAID FEEDER DECK, AND (N) MEANS ON EACH OF SAID END PORTIONS OF EACH OF SAID RODS FOR MAINTAINING SAID WEIGHT-BEARING ELEMENTS IN OPERATING POSITION.