Reciprocating pit cleaning system

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR REMOVING MATERIAL COLLECTED WITHIN A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED CHANNELS HAVING MATERIAL UNLOADING ENDS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SCRAPER ASSEMBLIES RESPECTIVELY MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT WITHIN EACH OF THE CHANNELS, REVERSIBLE ENGAGING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO EACH OF THE SCRAPER ASSEMBLIES FOR DISPLACEMENT THEREOF IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH ALL OF SAID ENGAGING MEANS FOR DRIVING ENGAGMENT THEREWITH IN ONE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE CHANNELS, POWER OPERATED RECIPROCATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS FOR IMPARTING LIMITED MOVEMENT THERETO IN BOTH DIRECTIONS WITHIN ALL OF THE CHANNELS TO INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCE THE SCRAPER ASSEMBLIES IN ONE DIRECTION THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE CHANNELS, AND LIMIT MEANS MOUNTED ON THE FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS FOR REVERSING THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THE REVERSIBLE DRIVE MEANS ADVANCES THE SCRAPER ASSEMBLIES WHEN REACHING THE MATERIAL UNLOADING ENDS OF THE CHANNELS, SAID FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ENDLESS CHAINS, AND SPROCKET WHEEL MEANS OPERTIVELY MOUNTED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CHAINS FOR GUIDING MOVEMENT OF PORTIONS THEREOF PARALLEL TO THE CHANNELS, EACH OF SAID SCRAPER ASSEMBLIES COMPRISING A PAIR OF RUNNERS SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN EACH OF THE CHANNELS, SPACING MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE PAIR OF RUNNERS IN FIXED SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER, BLADE MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED BY THE SPACING MEANS BETWEEN THE RUNNERS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH MATERIAL WITHIN THE CHANNEL, AND STOP MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON THE RUNNERS FOR PREVENTING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE BLADE MEANS IN ONE DIRECTION FOR DISPLACING SAID MATERIAL ONLY TOWARD THE UNLOADING END OF THE CHANNEL IN RESPONSE TO ADVANCEMENT OF THE SCRAPER ASSEMBLY THROUGH THE CHANNEL, EACH OF SAID REVERSIBLE ENGAGING MEANS COMPRISING ELONGATED GUIDE MEANS THROUGH WHICH SAID FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS EXTENDS, A PAIR OF PAWL ELEMENTS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED BY THE GUIDE MEANS FOR DRIVING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS OF MOVEMENT, AND PAWL LIFTING MEANS MOVABLY CARRIED BY THE GUIDE MEANS FOR DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN OPPOSITE POSITIONS ALTERNATIVELY HOLDING ONE OF THE PAIR OF PAWL ELEMENTS OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR REMOVING MATERIAL COLLECTED WITHIN A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED CHANNELS HAVING MATERIAL UNLOADING ENDS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SCRAPER ASSEMBLIES RESPECTIVELY MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT WITHIN EACH OF THE CHANNELS, REVERSIBLE ENGAGING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO EACH OF THE SCRAPER ASSEMBLIES FOR DISPLACEMENT THEREOF IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH ALL OF SAID ENGAGING MEANS FOR DRIVING ENGAGMENT THEREWITH IN ONE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE CHANNELS, POWER OPERATED RECIPROCATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS FOR IMPARTING LIMITED MOVEMENT THERETO IN BOTH DIRECTIONS WITHIN ALL OF THE CHANNELS TO INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCE THE SCRAPER ASSEMBLIES IN ONE DIRECTION THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE CHANNELS, AND LIMIT MEANS MOUNTED ON THE FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS FOR REVERSING THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THE REVERSIBLE DRIVE MEANS ADVANCES THE SCRAPER ASSEMBLIES WHEN REACHING THE MATERIAL UNLOADING ENDS OF THE CHANNELS, SAID FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ENDLESS CHAINS, AND SPROCKET WHEEL MEANS OPERTIVELY MOUNTED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CHAINS FOR GUIDING MOVEMENT OF PORTIONS THEREOF PARALLEL TO THE CHANNELS, EACH OF SAID SCRAPER ASSEMBLIES COMPRISING A PAIR OF RUNNERS SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN EACH OF THE CHANNELS, SPACING MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE PAIR OF RUNNERS IN FIXED SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER, BLADE MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED BY THE SPACING MEANS BETWEEN THE RUNNERS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH MATERIAL WITHIN THE CHANNEL, AND STOP MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON THE RUNNERS FOR PREVENTING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE BLADE MEANS IN ONE DIRECTION FOR DISPLACING SAID MATERIAL ONLY TOWARD THE UNLOADING END OF THE CHANNEL IN RESPONSE TO ADVANCEMENT OF THE SCRAPER ASSEMBLY THROUGH THE CHANNEL, EACH OF SAID REVERSIBLE ENGAGING MEANS COMPRISING ELONGATED GUIDE MEANS THROUGH WHICH SAID FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS EXTENDS, A PAIR OF PAWL ELEMENTS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED BY THE GUIDE MEANS FOR DRIVING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS OF MOVEMENT, AND PAWL LIFTING MEANS MOVABLY CARRIED BY THE GUIDE MEANS FOR DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN OPPOSITE POSITIONS ALTERNATIVELY HOLDING ONE OF THE PAIR OF PAWL ELEMENTS OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FLEXIBLE DRIVE MEANS.