Material collecting means for continuous mining machine

Claim 2

IN A CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE, A MAIN FRAME, A BOOM TRANSVERSELY PIVOTED TO SAID MAIN FRAME AND EXTENDING IN ADVANCE THEREOF, A ROTARY MINING HEAD SUPPORTED ON SAID BOOM FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID MAIN FRAME, MEANS FOR VERTICALLY MOVING SAID BOOM WITH RESPECT TO SAID MAIN FRAME AND FEEDING SAID MINING HEAD VERTICALLY ALONG A MINE FACE, A CONVEYOR EXTENDING ALONG SAID MAIN FRAME AND HAVING AN INCLINED ELEVATING FORWARD END PORTION EXTENDING IN ADVANCE OF SAID MAIN FRAME IN A DOWNWARDLY INCLINDED DIRECTION INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE GROUND, INCLINED APRONS EXTENDING ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CONVEYOR AND LATERALLY THEREFROM AND MOUNTED ON SAID CONVEYOR FOR ANGULAR MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT THERETO ABOUT AXES EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID CONVEYOR AND PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF TRAVEL THEREOF AND ENGAGED BY SAID BOOM WHEN SAID BOOM IS IN A LOWERMOST POSITION, AND FLUID PRESSURE OPERATED MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CONVEYOR AND APRONS, PIVOTALLY MOVING SAID APRONS UPWARDLY TO FOLLOW SAID BOOM AND FROM AN INCLINED HOPPER TERMINATING AT SAID CONVEYOR.

Claim 3

IN A CONVEYOR HAVING AN INCLINED ELEVATING FORWARD END PORTION HAVING PARALLEL SPACED SIDE WALLS EXTENDING THEREALONG AND AN ENDLESS CHAIN AND FLIGHT CONVEYOR MOVABLE ALONG SAID SIDE WALLS IN THE SPACE THEREBETWEEN, A HOPPER FOR SAID INCLINED ELEVATING FORWARD END PORTION OF SAID CONVEYOR FOR TRANSFERRING THE MINED MATERIAL ONTO SAID CONVEYOR COMPRISING APRONS EXTENDING ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID INCLINED ELEVATING FORWARD END PORTION OF SAID CONVEYOR AND LONGITUDINALLY PIVOTED TO SAID SIDE WALLS, HYDRAULIC JACK MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS AND APRONS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID APRONS ABOUT THEIR AXES OF CONNECTION TO SAID CONVEYOR, SIDE BOARDS EXTENDING ALONG THE OUTER SIDES OF SAID APRONS AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED THERETO FOR MOVEMENT ABOUT AXES EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE AXES OF PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID APRONS, AND LINKAGE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS OF SAID CONVEYOR AND SAID SIDE BOARDS PIVOTING SAID SIDE BOARDS OUTWARDLY UPON ANGULAR UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID APRONS TO MAINTAIN THE WIDTH OF SAID HOPPER SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM IN ALL VERTICAL POSITIONS OF SAID APRONS WITH RESPECT TO SAID CONVEYOR.

Claim 4

IN A CONVEYOR HAVING AN INCLINED ELEVATING FORWARD END PORTION HAVING PARALLEL SPACED SIDE WALLS EXTENDING THEREALONG AND AN ENDLESS CHAIN AND FLIGHT CONVEYOR MOVABLE ALONG SAID SIDE WALLS IN THE SPACE THEREBETWEEN, A HOPPER FOR SAID INCLINED ELEVATING FORWARD END PORTION OF SAID CONVEYOR FOR TRANSFERRING THE MINED MATERIAL ONTO SAID CONVEYOR COMPRISING APRONS EXTENDING ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID INCLINED ELEVATING FORWARD END PORTION OF SAID CONVEYOR AND LONGITUDINALLY PIVOTED TO SAID SIDE WALLS, HYDRAULIC JACK MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS AND APRONS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID APRONS ABOUT THEIR AXES OF CONNECTION TO SAID CONVEYOR, SIDE BOARDS EXTENDING ALONG THE OUTER SIDES OF SAID APRONS AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED THERETO FOR MOVEMENT ABOUT AXES EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE AXES OF PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID APRONS, AND LINKAGE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS OF SAID CONVEYOR AND SAID SIDE BOARDS PIVOTING SAID SIDE BOARDS OUTWARDLY UPON ANGULAR UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID APRONS TO MAINTAIN THE WIDTH OF SAID HOPPER SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM IN ALL VERTICAL POSITIONS OF SAID APRONS WITH RESPECT TO SAID CONVEYOR.