Automatically controlled closure assemblies

Claim 1

The combination of a dust collector having a dust removal opening and a closure assembly for said opening, comprising, a hollow tubular housing defining a passageway for dust and having an inlet means at one end connected to said dust removal opening of said dust collector and an outlet on the other end of the housing, a flexible closure member peripherally fixed to and bridging the housing across the passageway between said inlet and said outlet, said closure member including a plurality of separate aliquot parts in contact at the center of the passageway and along their side edges which are radial to the passageway when the closure member is in closed position, said closure member being formed of material having sufficient resistance to deformation to support a predetermined quantity of dust upon one surface facing said inlet when closed but being of sufficient flexibility to permit its separate parts to flex in a direction away from said inlet toward said outlet to separate to release the dust when the predetermined quantity is exceeded, and stop means engaged with said housing and said closure members and extending between said housing and each of said aliquot parts, said stop means being operatively constructed and arranged for preventing said aliquot parts from flexing beyond their closed position toward said inlet but permitting said flexing movement of said aliquot parts toward said outlet for releasing the dust when said predetermined quantity is exceeded.