Material storage and transfer device

Claim 2

A material storage and transfer system comprising, storage means extending in a longitudinal direction for receiving quantities of material, conveying means extending in said longitudinal direction receiving material from said storage means and transferring the material out of said storage means, means to transfer the material from said storage means to said conveying means, said means to transfer including at least one pusher assembly located at each side of and outside of said storage means when in a retracted position and movable laterally into said storage means when in an extended position, and a plurality of adjacent guide means dividing said storage means into bays along said longitudinal direction, said pusher assembly being located within a bay between adjacent guide means thereby being operable to move the material to said conveying means at various points along said longitudinal direction.

Claim 3

A system according to claim 1 further comprising means to move said pusher assembly from bay to bay in said longitudinal direction.

Claim 4

A system according to claim 1 wherein said storage means includes a bin, said conveying means being a conveyor located generally centrally of said bin near the bottom thereof.

Claim 5

A system according to claim 3 further comprising hood means mounted within said bin generally above said conveyor for protecting said conveyor from the material and preventing the material from being placed directly on said conveyor.

Claim 6

A system according to claim 3 further comprising means to prevent the material in said bin from filtering between said guide means and said pusher assembly.

Claim 7

A system according to claim 3 wherein said means to move said pusher assembly includes drive means, and at least one rail member extending along said bin from bay to bay, said pusher assembly including wheels adapted to ride said rail, said drive means moving said wheels on said rail.

Claim 8

A system according to claim 1, said pusher assembly including a movable carriage and a drive mechanism, said carriage being movable with respect to said drive mechanism.

Claim 9

A system according to claim 7 wherein said carriage includes a cover plate protecting said drive mechanism from the material and a pusher face contacting the material.

Claim 10

A material storage and transfer system comprising, storage means for receiving quantities of material, conveying means receiving material from said storage means and transferring the material out of said storage means, a pusher assembly capable of being extended into said storage means to push material onto said conveying means, said pusher assembly being operable to move the material to said conveying means at various points along the conveying direction of said conveying means and including a movable carriage as well as a drive mechanism, said carriage being movable with respect to said drive mechanism and including a cover plate protecting said drive mechanism from the material and further including a pusher face contacting the material, and guide means extending laterally of said conveying direction to divide said storage means into bays, said carriage including means riding on adjacent of said guide means when said pusher assembly is extended into said storage means.

Claim 11

A material storage and transfer system comprising, storage means for receiving quantities of material, conveying means receiving material from said storage means and transferring the material out of said storage means, a pusher assembly capable of being extended into said storage means to push material onto said conveying means, said pusher assembly being operable to move the material to said conveying means at various points along the conveying direction of said conveying means and including a movable carriage as well as a drive mechanism, said carriage being movable with respect to said drive mechanism and including a cover plate protecting said drive mechanism from the material and further including a pusher face contacting the material, and guide means extending laterally of said conveying direction to divide said storage means into bays, said carriage including means riding on adjacent of said guide means when said pusher assembly is extended into said storage means.

Claim 12

A system according to claim 9 wherein said drive mechanism includes a hydraulic cylinder, said pusher face of said carriage being mounted on said cylinder.

Claim 13

A system according to claim 10 wherein said cylinder is telescoping having a plurality of movable sections, at least one of said sections being movable with respect to said carriage and at least another of said sections being movable with said carriage.

Claim 14

A system according to claim 11 further comprising means to mount one of said sections of said cylinder for movement with respect to said carriage.