Gravimetric feeder and method of filling voids therein or in other pressure vessels

Claim 1

A GRAVIMETRIC FEEDER COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING AN INLET IN THE TOP AT ONE END AND AN OUTLET IN THE BOTTOM AT THE OTHER END, A HEAD PULLEY LOCATED ADJACENT AND ABOVE THE OUTLET, A TAIL PULLEY LOCATED ADJACENT AND BELOW THE INLET, AN ENDLESS BELT EXTENDING AROUND SAID PULLEYS, MEANS DEFINING A WEIGH SPAN ALONG THE UPPER COURSE OF SAID BELT, A WEIGHING ROLLER ENGAGING THE UPPER COURSE OF SAID BELT WITHIN THE LIMITS OF SAID WEIGH SPAN, A LEVELING DEVICE FOR DETERMINING THE HEIGHT OF MATERIAL ON SAID BELT, A WEIGHING MECHANISM COUPLED TO SAID WEIGHING ROLLER, MEANS TO CONTROL THE POSITION OF THE LEVELING DEVICE RESPONSIVE TO THE BALANCE CONDITION OF SAID WEIGHING MECHANISM, DRIVE MEANS, COUPLING MEANS FOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID DRIVE MEANS WITH ONE END OF SAID HEAD PULLEY, SAID COUPLING MEANS BEING DETACHABLE BY RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT, BEARING MEANS INCLUDING A BEARING CAP MOUNTED IN AN APERTURE DEFINED IN SAID HOUSING, SAID APERTURE BEING OF A LARGER DIAMETER THAN THAT OF SAID HEAD PULLEY, AND SAID