Apparatus for treating granular material

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR TREATING GRANULAR MATERIAL IN A CIRCULAR STORAGE BIN HAVING A LOWER FLOOR COMPRISING AN UPPER HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED, PERFORATED FLOOR MOUNTED IN SAID BIN AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A QUANTITY OF GRANULAR MATERIAL, SAID UPPER FLOOR SEPARATING SAID BIN INTO AN UPPER COMPARTMENT AND A LOWER COMPARTMENT, AND FURTHER WHEREIN SAID UPPER FLOOR INCLUDES A PLURALITY OF APERTURES FORMED THEREIN, AND WITH A SWEEP AUGER MOVABLY MOUNTED ON TOP OF SAID UPPER FLOOR FOR MOVING THE GRANULAR MATERIAL TO SAID APERTURES; MEANS FOR SUPPLYING HEATED AIR BELOW SAID UPPER FLOOR, WHEREBY THE HEATED AIR PERCOLATES THROUGH SAID UPPER FLOOR AND THROUGH SAID GRANULAR MATERIAL; MEANS FOR DUMPING THE GRANULAR MATERIAL FROM SAID UPPER COMPARTMENT TO SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT, SAID DUMPING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SLIDABLE DOORS, EACH OF SAID DOORS MOUNTED INONE OF SAID APERTURES AND FURTHER WHEREIN SAID DOORS ARE CONNECTED TO RECIPROCALLY MOVABLE MEANS, WHEREBY SAID DOORS ARE OPERABLE TO DUMP THE GRANULAR MATERIAL FROM SAID UPPER COMPARTMENT TO SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT, AND FURTHER WHEREIN SAID MOVABLE MEANS IS OPERABLE EXTERNALLY OF THE BIN;