Apparatus for leveling bulk material in a container

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR LEVELING A MASS OF GRANULAR MATERIAL IN A BIN HAVING FOUR DOWNWARDLY PROJECTING SUPPORTING LEGS, A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL BASE MEMBER, A GENERALLY H-SHAPED BIN SUPPORTING PLATE DISPOSED ABOVE AND IN A VERTICALLY SPACED RELATION WITH SAID BASE MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF UPRIGHT YIELDABLE MOUNTING MEMBERS CONNECTED AT THEIR LOWER ENDS TO SAID BASE MEMBER SO THAT THEY PROJECT UPWARDLY THEREFROM, MEANS CONNECTING THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID MOUNTING MEMBERS TO SAID SUPPORTING PLATE SO THAT SAID SUPPORTING PLATE IS SUPPORTED ON SAID MOUNTING MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID MOUNTING MEMBERS BEING CONSTRUCTED SO THAT IT IS DEFORMABLE SUCH THAT THE UPPER END THEREOF IS SHIFTABLE HORIZONTALLY RELATIVE TO THE LOWER END THEREOF IS SHIFTABLE HORIZONTALLY RELATIVE TO THE LOWER END THEREOF SO THAT SAID PLATE IS MOVABLE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID BASE MEMBER, BIN LEG RECEIVING MEANS SECURED TO SAID PLATE ADJACENT THE OUTER CORNERS THEREOF AND EXTENDED UPWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID LEG RECEIVING MEANS BEING ARRANGED ON SAID PLATE SO THAT SAID BIN LEGS ARE POSITIONABLE THEREIN, A CONNECTING ROD HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL CYLINDRICAL OPENING FORMED AT ONE END THEREOF, MEANS INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL SHAFT CONNECTING THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID ROD TO SAID SUPPORTING PLATE, AND A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL DRIVE SHAFT MOUNTED ON SAID BASE MEMBER AND HAVING AN ECCENTRIC PORTION DISPOSED IN SAID OPENING SO THAT ROTATION OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT EFFECTS ONLY SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SUPPORTING PLATE RELATIVE TO SAID BASE MEMBER.