Portable material handling apparatus

Claim 1

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS COMPRISING A CONTAINER HAVING SIDE WALLS AND A DOWNWARDLY CONVERGING, SUBSTANTIALLY V-SHAPED BOTTOM WALL, ONE OF SAID WALLS HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN ADJACENT THE APEX OF SAID BOTTOM WALL, CONVEYOR MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID CONTAINER ADJACENT THE APEX OF SAID BOTTOM WALL AND EXTENDING THE LENGTH THEREOF FOR CONVEYING MATERIAL OUT OF SAID CONTAINER THROUGH SAID OPENING; A PARTITION MEMBER SUPPORTED IN SAID CONTAINER BETWEEN TWO OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND LYING ATHWART SAID CONVEYOR MEANS TO DIVIDE SAID CONTAINER INTO FIRST AND SECOND COMPARTMENTS, SAID PARTITION HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN THROUGH WHICH SAID CONVEYOR MEANS EXTENDS AND SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT BEING DEFINED BY SAID PARTITION AND BY THE SIDE WALL OF SAID CONTAINER IN WHICH SAID OPENING IS FORMED; A SHIELD MEMBER OVERLYING SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AT LEAST IN SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT AND HAVING ITS SIDE EDGES SPACED VERTICALLY FROM SAID BOTTOM WALL TO PROVIDE OPENINGS THROUGH WHICH MATERIAL MAY BE INTRODUCED TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS; GATE MEANS OF EACH SIDE OF SAID SHIELD MEMBER AND IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH; MEANS MOUNTING SAID GATE MEANS FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENTS AWAY FROM AND TOWARD SAID BOTTOM WALL FOR SELECTIVELY OPENING AND CLOSING SAID OPENINGS AND RESPECTIVELY PERMITTING AND PREVENTING THE INTRODUCTION OF MATERIAL TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS; AND MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID GATE MEANS FOR MOVING EACH GATE MEANS VERTICALLY INDEPENDENTLY OF THE OTHER.