Coal conveyor

Claim 1

A CONVEYOR COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TUBULAR ENCLOSURE HAVING A SLOT IN ITS UPPER SURFACE THROUGH WHICH PRODUCT MAY FLOW, AN ELONGATED SCREW CONVEYOR WITHIN SAID TUBULAR ENCLOSURE AND INCLUDING AN AXIAL SHAFT AND A SPIRAL FLIGHT ENCIRCLING SAID SHAFT, SAID SCREW CONVEYOR COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SECTIONS, AT LEAST TWO OF SAID SECTIONS BEING JOINED BY A FLEXIBLE JOINT, SAID FLEXIBLE JOINT COMPRISING A PIN MEANS, SAID PIN MEANS OPERATIVELY ENGAGING EACH OF SAID SHAFTS, SAID PIN BEING FREE TO ROTATE IN AN ARC WITH RESPECT TO THE AXIS OF THE SHAFT OF EITHER OF THE TWO ADJOINING CONVEYOR SECTIONS JOINED BY SAID PIN, THE ENDS OF THE SPIRAL FLIGHTS OF EACH SECTION TERMINATING IN A PLANE DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY OF THE AXIS OF THE SHAFT, THE ENDS OF THE ADJOINING SECTIONS OF THE FLIGHT TERMINATING IN COPLANAR ABUTTING SURFACES, SAID COPLANAR SURFACES ON ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID FLIGHTS LYING WHOLLY WITHIN THE CONTOUR OF THE LATTER AND LUG MEANS SECURED ADJACENT TO THE END OF ONE FLIGHT AND PROJECTING BEYOND THE END OF AND OVERLYING THE END OF THE ADJOINING FLIGHT SO AS TO TRANSMIT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE TORQUE THROUGH THE SPIRAL FLIGHTS.