Container for pulverant materials and apparatus for unloading same

Claim 1

A HOPPER STRUCTURE FOR BULK MATERIALS COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED FUNNELING PORTIONS HAVING DISCHARGE CONTROLLING GATES AT THE LOWER ENDS THEREOF, SAID FUNNELING PORTIONS EACH BEING DEFINED BY DOWNWARDLY INCLINED PLANAR SHEETS DEFINING LINES OF INTERSECTION FORMING DOWNWARDLY INCLINED CORNERS, A PLENUM CHAMBER FORMED ACROSS EACH OF SAID CORNERS, SAID PLENUM CHAMBERS BEING DEFINED BY GAS PERMEABLE MATERIAL HAVING A PERMEABILITY THAT EXCEEDS 10, AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING GAS UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID PLENUM CHAMBERS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF U-SHAPED CONDUITS SECURED TOGETHER IN BACK TO BACK RELATION AND CARRIED BY SAID FUNNELING PORTIONS WITH EACH CONDUIT BEING RECEIVED ABOUT A FUNNELING PORTION, RESPECTIVELY, SAID CONDUITS BEING SECURED TOGETHER BY A FURTHER CONDUIT HAVING VALVE MEANS MOUNTED THEREIN FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF GAS BETWEEN THE TWO, AND CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING THE PLENUM CHAMBERS OF EACH FUNNELING PORTION WITH THE RESPECTIVE CONDUITS, WITH ONE OF THE LEGS OF EACH OF SAID CONDUITS BEING ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO A SOURCE OF GAS UNDER PRESSURE.