Earth scraper

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEVERING EARTH FROM ITS PLACE AND CAUSING IT TO MOVE TO A REMOTE LOCATION, COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF: A MOBILE FRAME; A BLADE CARRIAGE HAVING LINK MEANS CONNECTING SAID CARRIAGE TO SAID FRAME FOR MOVEMENT THROUGH AN ARCUATE PATH; A PLURALITY OF RIGID CUTTING BLADES OF BROAD SIDE FACE CARRIED BY SAID BLADE AND SPIRALLING WITH RESPECT TO THE CENTRAL AXIS OF THE BLADE CARRIAGE; MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID BLADE CARRIAGE TO DRIVE SAID CUTING BLADES BROAD SIDE FORWARD, THROUGH AN ANNULAR PATH IN A FIRST DIRECTION TO PENETRATE AN EARTH FORMATION, AND TO EMERGE FROM SAID EARTH FORMATION AT AN ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THE SURFACE THEREOF; A FIRST VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE HYDRAULIC SUPPORT MEANS HOLDING A FIRST END OF SAID BLADE CARRIAGE, A SECOND VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE HYDRAULIC SUPPORT MEANS HOLDING A SECOND END OF SAID BLADE CARRIAGE, SAID FIRST AND SECOND HYDRAULIC MEANS HOLDING SAID BLADES IN ANY ADJUSTED ATTITUDE FOR ESTABLISHING A CUTTING ACTION FIXED IN SAID ARCUATE PATH TO DIG INTO SAID EARTH FORMATION; VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE SPEED AND POWER OF SAID BLADES TO PRODUCE A SEVERING AND PROPELLING FORCE WHICH IS RELATED TO THE EARTH STRUCTURE BEING MOVED FOR CAUSING THE SEVERED MATERIAL TO LIFT FREE OF THE EARTH AND ASSUME A TRAJECTORY PATH TO A TARGET SPACED FROM THE POINT OF EMERGENCE OF SAID BLADES FROM SAID FORMATION; CONVEYOR MEANS LOCATED AT SAID TARGET FOR CATCHING AND REMOVING SEVERED EARTH FORMATION MATERIAL, SAID CONVEYOR MEANS EXTENDING LATERALLY BEYOND SAID BLADES; TWO SPACED AND VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE HYDRAULIC HANGERS SUPPORTING SAID CONVEYOR IN ANY ADJUSTED ATTITUDE, AND PIVOTED LINKS INTERCONNECTING SAID BLADE CARRIAGE AND SAID CONVEYOR WHEREBY SAID CONVEYOR IS RELATED TO THE TILT AND ELEVATION OF THE BLADE CARRIAGE FOR EFFICIENT RECEPTION OF SEVERED EARTH; AND MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING SAID BLADES AND CONVEYOR MEANS ALONG SAID EARTH FORMATION AT A SPEED INDEPENDENT OF THE CUTTING BLADE SPEED AND IN A DIRECTION OPPOSED TO SAID ANNULAR PATH FIRST DIRECTION; WHEREBY THE SEVERED MATERIAL IS PLACED UPON SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND MOVED LATERALLY OUT OF THE PATH OF CUTTING.