Automatic unloading conveyor assembly

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING AND UNLOADING MATERIALS COMPRISING: CONVEYOR MEANS ADAPTED FOR ADVANCEMENT IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION; AT LEAST A PAIR OF MATERIAL-RECEIVING TRAY STRUCTURES EACH HAVING OPPOSED, LEADING AND TRAILING EXTREMITIES; MEANS SUPPORTING THE TRAILING EXTREMITY OF EACH OF SAID STRUCTURES AND COUPLING THE LATTER TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR ADVANCEMENT THEREWITH AND FOR MOVEMENT OF EACH STRUCTURE BETWEEN A MATERIAL-CARRYING DISPOSITION AND A MATERIAL-DUMPING DISPOSITION; THE LEADING STRUCTURE OF SAID PAIR OF STRUCTURES HAVING MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE LEADING EXTREMITY OF THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF STRUCTURES, WHEN SAID LEADING STRUCTURE IS IN ITS MATERIAL-CARRYING DISPOSITION, FOR SUPPORTING SAID OTHER STRUCTURE AND MAINTAINING THE SAME IN ITS MATERIAL-CARRYING DISPOSITION; A DEVICE MOVABLE WITH SAID LEADING STRUCTURE DURING OPERATION OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID LEADING STRUCTURE IN THE MATERIAL-CARRYING DISPOSITION THEREOF AS THE STRUCTURES ARE ADVANCED BY THE CONVEYOR MEANS, WHEREBY SAID OTHER STRUCTURE IS MAINTAINED IN ITS MATERIAL-CARRYING DISPOSITION BY THE LEADING STRUCTURE; AND CONTROL MEANS COUPLED WITH SAID DEVICE FOR EFFECTING RELATIVE OF MOVEMENT OF SAID STRUCTURES AND SAID DEVICE TO RELEASE SAID LEADING STRUCTURE FOR MOVEMENT TO ITS MATERIAL-DUMPING DISPOSITION AND SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY POSITION SAID DEVICE IN SUPPORTING RELATIONSHIP TO SAID OTHER STRUCTURE, AND THEN RELEASE SAID OTHER STRUCTURE FOR MOVEMENT TO ITS MATERIAL-DUMPING DISPOSITION, WHEREBY SAID STRUCTURES ARE SUCCESSIVELY DUMPED UPON OPERATION OF SAID CONTROL MEANS.