Material discharging apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING PARTICULATE MATERIAL FROM A SOURCE THEREOF ALONG AN ELONGATED DISCHARGE STATION COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED, GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED CONVEYOR TUBE ADAPTED TO COMMUNICATE WITH SAID SOURCE FOR RECEIVING MATERIAL THEREFROM INTO ONE END OF THE TUBE, SAID TUBE HAVING AN ELONGATED OPENING IN THE SIDE WALL THEREOF EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE TUBE IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE TUBE; AN ELONGATED, ROTATABLE SCREW IN THE TUBE, SAID SCREW INCLUDING A HELICAL VANE HAVING A LEADING SURFACE AND A TRAILING SURFACE, THE LEADING SURFACE BEING CONFIGURED TO PUSH THE MATERIAL AWAY FROM SAID OPENING AND TOWARD THE OTHER END OF THE TUBE WHEN THE SCREW IS ROTATED IN ONE DIRECTION AND THE TRAILING SURFACE BEING CONFIGURED TO PUSH THE MATERIAL TOWARD THE OPENING WHEN THE SCREW IS ROTATED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION; REVERSIBLE DRIVE MEANS OPERABLY COUPLED WITH THE SCREW FOR DRIVING THE LATTER; AND IMPELLER MEANS ON THE VANE FOR KNOCKING THE MATERIAL TOWARD THE OPENING TO FACILITATE DISCHARGE OF THE MATERIAL THERETHROUGH WHEN THE SCREW IS ROTATED IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION.