Refuse reclaiming apparatus

Claim 1

Apparatus for reclaiming refuse from a pile thereof confined within a generally rectangular area of substantial length and stored with the top surface thereof fully exposed comprising in combination a below-ground-level elongated storage bin defined along its opposite sides by a pair of vertically extending laterally spaced parallel walls and a bottom floor extending horizontally between said side walls, said bin being provided along one side wall thereof with an adjacent elongated depressed trench which extends substantially the full length of said bin and has an open top disposed substantially flush with the bottom floor of said bin, said trench being spaced inwardly of its adjacent side wall of said bin to provide the latter with a bottom wall portion extending laterally beyond the outer side of said trench, a first endless conveyor mechanism having a running section operative to drag refuse from the top of the stored refuse pile toward one side thereof and into said trench, a traveling support for said conveyor mechanism shiftable lengthwise along said laterally extended bottom wall portion of said bin, means for operatively mounting said conveyor mechanism on said traveling support for vertical movement thereof into a position substantially paralleling the angle of repose of the stored refuse pile for penetrating engagement with the refuse resting on the surface of said pile, means for effecting operation of said conveyor mechanism and shifting movement of its said traveling support whereby to drag refuse from the surface of said pile as said conveyor scans the same, and coacting means interconnecting said traveling support and said one side wall of said bin outboard of said trench to constantly maintain said support in vertical position against the counteracting tilting weight of said conveyor mechanism during the course of travel of the latter along the surface of said refuse pile.