Apparatus for dispensing dry granular material by means of an air current

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING DRY GRANULAR MATERIAL COMPRISING (A) BLOWER MEANS FOR CREATING AN AIR STREAM AND DIRECTING THE AIR STREAM THROUGH AN EXHAUST OPENING THEREIN, (B) AN ELONGATE CONDUIT COMMUNICATIVELY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THE EXHAUST OPENING OF SAID BLOWER MEANS AND HAVING A DISCHARGE NOZZLE AT ITS OTHER END, (C) A HOPPER ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A SUPPLY OF THE DRY GRANULAR MATERIAL AND BEING COMMUNICATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CONDUIT INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF FOR DISPENSING THE DRY GRANULAR MATERIAL INTO SAID CONDUIT, (D) A CONTROL VALVE MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID HOPPER AND SAID CONDUIT AND MOVABLE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS FOR CONTROLLING THE DISPERSATION OF THE DRY GRANULAR MATERIAL INTO SAID CONDUIT, (E) A VERTICALLY DISPOSED CLAPPER VALVE MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CONDUIT FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A PIVOT DISPOSED ADJACENT THE TOP OF SAID CONDUIT AND HAVING THE PORTION OF THE VALVE BELOW THE CONDUIT DISPOSED IN THE PATH OF THE AIR STREAM BEING DIRECTED THROUGH THE CONDUIT BY SAID BLOWER MEANS FOR SENSING THE FLOW OF AIR THROUGH THE CONDUIT, (F) MEANS CONNECTING SAID CLAPPER VALVE TO SAID CONTROL VALVE SO THAT SAID CLAPPER VALVE WILL MOVE SAID CONTROL VALVE TO ITS OPEN POSITION IN RESPONSE TO THE FLOW OF AIR THROUGH THE CONDUIT AND TO THE CLOSED POSITION IN RESPONSE TO INTERRUPTION OF THE FLOW OF AIR THROUGH THE CONDUIT, AND (G) VALVE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID DISCHARGE NOZZLE OF SAID ELONGATE CONDUIT REMOTE FROM SAID HOPPER AND MANUALLY OPERABLE TO CLOSE SAID DISCHARGE NOZZLE TO THE PASSAGE OF AIR THERETHROUGH FOR INTERRUPTING THE FLOW OF AIR THROUGH THE CONDUIT SO THAT SAID CLAPPER VALVE AND SAID CONTROL VALVE IN RESPONSE THERETO TERMINATE THE DISPENSATION OF DRY GRANULAR MATERIAL INTO SAID CONDUIT.