Conveyer

Claim 1

A CONVEYOR FOR CONVEYING GRANULAR MATERIALS COMPRISING: A HORIZONTAL TROUGH HAVING CONVERGING ELONGATED SIDES SLOPING DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY TO DEFINE AN ELONGATED CROTCH, SAID TROUGH SUPPORTING SUCH GRANULAR MATERIALS TO BE CONVEYED AND HAVING A DISCHARGE OPENING IN THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF; CLOSURE MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID TROUGH FOR CLOSING SAID OPENING; GUIDE MEANS GUIDING SAID CLOSURE MEANS BETWEEN POSITIONS OF CLOSING SAID OPENING AND BEING DISPOSED AWAY FROM SAID OPENING TO PERMIT DISCHARGE OF SUCH GRANULAR MATERIAL THROUGH SAID OPENING; A FLAT CONTINUOUS AND UNOBSTRUCTED VERTICALLY EXTENDING BELT HAVING TWO CONTINUOUS SURFACES FOR FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING SUCH GRANULAR MATERIALS, THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID BELT BEING SLIDABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID ELONGATED CROTCH AND HAVING ITS UPPER EDGE SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SIDES OF SAID TROUGH, SAID CONVERGING SIDES AND CROTCH COOPERATIVELY URGING SUCH GRANULAR MATERIAL INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH BOTH SURFACES OF SAID BELT TO CONTINUOUSLY CONVEY SUCH GRANULAR MATERIAL THEREALONG TO SAID DISCHARGE OPENING THEREBY IMPARTING A POSITIVE AND CONTINUOUS MOVING ACTION TO SUCH GRANULAR MATERIAL WHEN SAID BELT IS BEING DRIVEN; AND DRIVING MEANS DRIVINGLY SUPPORTING SAID FLAT BELT TO MOVE SAID BELT THROUGH SAID TROUGH PAST SAID DISCHARGE OPENING.