Drop boot to prevent wind loss of finely divided fluent materials

Claim 1

Means for controlling the delivery of particulate material onto a surface exposed to atmosphere and including: a. a closed elongated flexible conduit means having means for receiving a charge of particulate material at the top and having a discharge opening at the bottom thereof and means for controlling the lateral and elevational disposition of said discharge opening; b. a downwardly flared flexible boot means secured to the base of said flexible conduit and defining said discharge opening, said flexible boot means having a normal relaxed flare angle and an extreme flare angle achieved in response to a radially outwardly directed force against the wall of said boot means; c. product level sensing means operatively coupled to said flexible conduit and having sensor means disposed within said flexible conduit and at an elevation from said discharge opening and arranged to sense the level of particulate material within said conduit relative to said discharge opening; d. condition responsive means responsive to the level sensed by the sensor means of said product level sensing means and arranged to activate said elevational control means to raise said flexible conduit a predetermined distance through a series of elevational strokes in response to said sensor detecting a predetermined level of discharged particulate material retained within said conduit; and e. said predetermined distance being generally no greater than the vertical distance defined by the difference between said extreme flare angle and said relaxed flare angle of said boot means so as to maintain a generally controllably closed discharge opening between the interior of said flexible conduit means and atmosphere.

Claim 7

The method of delivering particulate solid material onto an atmospherically exposed surface which includes: a. continuously passing said particulate material through a flexible conduit having a discharge opening with a downwardly flared flexible boot means disposed at the base thereof, with said downWardly flared flexible boot means having a normal relaxed flare angle and an extreme flare angle assumed in response to radially outwardly directed forces; b. intermittently elevating said discharge opening in response to accumulation of particulate material within said flexible conduit; c. detecting the condition of accumulation of particulate material within said flexible conduit which corresponds generally to the attainment of said extreme flare angle in said boot means; and d. thereupon periodically elevating said discharge opening by an incremental amount corresponding generally to a vertical distance no greater than the vertical distance defined by the difference between said extreme flare angle and said normal relaxed flare angle of said boot means.

Claim 8

The method of delivering particulate solid material onto an atmospherically exposed surface which includes: a. continuously passing said particulate material through a flexible conduit having a discharge opening with a downwardly flared flexible boot means disposed at the base thereof, with said downWardly flared flexible boot means having a normal relaxed flare angle and an extreme flare angle assumed in response to radially outwardly directed forces; b. intermittently elevating said discharge opening in response to accumulation of particulate material within said flexible conduit; c. detecting the condition of accumulation of particulate material within said flexible conduit which corresponds generally to the attainment of said extreme flare angle in said boot means; and d. thereupon periodically elevating said discharge opening by an incremental amount corresponding generally to a vertical distance no greater than the vertical distance defined by the difference between said extreme flare angle and said normal relaxed flare angle of said boot means.