Apparatus for conveying materials

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING GRANULAR OR LIKE MATERIAL COMPRISING A CHAMBER ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE MATERIAL BY GRAVITY, AN INLET CHECK VALVE AT THE ENTRY TO SAID CHAMBER ADJACENT THE TOP THEREOF, A CONVEYOR PIPE LEADING FROM ADJACENT THE TOP OF SAID CHAMBER, AN OUTLET CHECK VALVE ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, A DIAPHRAGM CLOSING THE BOTTOM OF SAID CHAMBER, MEANS FOR DISCHARGING AIR SUFFICIENT ONLY TO FLUIDIZE THE MATERIAL INTO SAID CHAMBER ADJACENT THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID DIAPHRAGM, SAID DIAPHRAGM, UPON MOVING UPWARDLY INTO SAID CHAMBER DISPLACING THE MATERIAL AND THEREBY CAUSING IT TO CLOSE SAID INLET CHECK VALVE, OPEN SAID OUTLET CHECK VALVE, AND FLOW THROUGH SAID CONVEYOR PIPE TO A REMOTE POINT, MEANS AUTOMATICALLY RESPONSIVE TO SAID DIAPHRAGM IN THE LOWER POSITION THEREOF TO INTRODUCE BOTH SAID FLUIDIZING AIR AND AIR BENEATH SAID DIAPHRAGM TO MOVE IT UPWARDLY, AND RESPONSIVE TO AN UPPER POSITION OF SAID DIAPHRAGM TO STOP THE FLOW OF FLUIDIZING AIR AND PERMIT EXHAUST OF AIR FROM BELOW SAID DIAPHRAGM BY DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE DIAPHRAGM CAUSED BY FLOW OF THE MATERIAL THROUGH SAID INLET CHECK VALVE AND INTO SAID CHAMBER, THE MATERIAL IN SAID CONVEYOR PIPE AT THAT TIME CLOSING SAID OUTLET VALVE, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE PRESENCE OF MATERIAL ABOVE SAID INLET VALVE TO RENDER SAID LAST AUTOMATICALLY RESPONSIVE MEANS OPERATIVE.