Flushing means for a grain discharge valve

Claim 1

IN A STEEPING TUB HAVING A BOTTOM, AN ANNULAR VALVE SEAT ATTACHED TO SAID BOTTOM, A HINGED VALVE COVER ATTACHED TO SAID BOTTOM AND MOVABLE BETWEEN A CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH SAID VALVE COVER ENGAGES SAID VALVE SEAT AND AN OPEN POSITION IN WHICH SAID VALVE COVER IS DISENGAGED FROM SAID VALVE SEAT, SAID VALVE SEAT HAVING AN OVERHANGING PERIPHERAL FLANGE AND SAID VALVE COVER HAVING A PERIPHERAL LEDGE POSITIONED TO ENGAGE SAID PERIPHERAL FLANGE IN THE CLOSED POSITION OF SAID VALVE COVER, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID VALVE COVER BETWEEN THE OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS THEREOF, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PASSAGEWAYS FORMED IN SAID ANNULAR VALVE SEAT, SAID PASSAGEWAYS BEING DIRECTED BETWEEN SAID PERIPHERAL FLANGE AND SAID PERIPHERAL LEDGE, AN ANNULAR MANIFOLD ATTACHED TO SAID BOTTOM, A PLURALITY OF CONDUITS EACH CONNECTED BETWEEN A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS AND SAID ANNULAR MANIFOLD, A SOURCE OF FLUID UNDER PRESSURE COUPLED TO SAID MANIFOLD, FLUSHING VALVE MEANS COUPLED BETWEEN SAID FLUID SOURCE AND SAID MANIFOLD, A SOLENOID VALVE ACTUATOR CONNECTED TO SAID FLUSHING VALVE MEANS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SAID FLUSHING VALVE MEANS, CAM MEANS COUPLED TO SAID HINGED VALVE COVER AND MOVABLE THEREWITH, SWITCH MEANS ENGAGEABLE BY SAID CAM MEANS TO BE ACTUATED THEREBY WHEN SAID VALVE COVER APPROACHES ITS CLOSED POSITION AND TO BE DE-ACTUATED THEREBY WHEN SAID VALVE COVER REACHES ITS CLOSED POSITION, AND SAID SWITCH MEANS BEING ELECTRICALLY COUPLED TO SAID SOLENOID VALVE ACTUATOR TO OPEN SAID FLUSHING VALVE MEANS IN RESPONSE TO THE ACTUATION OF SAID SWITCH MEANS AND TO CLOSE SAID FLUSHING VALVE MEANS IN RESPONSE TO THE DE-ACTUATION OF SAID SWITCH MEANS, THEREBY AUTOMATICALLY FLUSHING SAID PERIPHERAL FLANGE AND PERIPHERAL LEDGE WITH JETS OF FLUID DIRECTED THERETO BY SAID PASSAGEWAYS PRIOR TO THE CLOSING OF SAID VALVE COVER.