Suction apparatus for removing fiber material

Claim 1

In a fiber bale opener including a truck arranged for back-and-forth displacement along a travelling path, an opening mechanism carried by said truck and arranged for removing fiber from the top of fiber bales positioned along said travelling path and a suction apparatus for carrying away, by an air stream, fiber removed from the bales by the opening mechanism, said suction apparatus including a suction duct having a length extending in the direction of said travelling path and a throughgoing slot on one side thereof, extending parallel to said length, said suction apparatus further having a flexible cover belt extending over said slot for sealing the inside of said duct from the environment, said cover belt defining an interstice within said truck; said interstice travelling with said truck and providing a passage for the fiber from said opening mechanism to the inside of said suction duct; the improvement wherein said cover belt has first and second ends stationarily held at opposite ends of said travelling path; said suction apparatus having first, second, third and fourth belt deflecting means; said first and second belt deflecting means being carried by said truck and being situated from one another at a distance determining a length dimension of said interstice; said third and fourth belt deflecting means being supported at opposite ends of said travelling path adjacent the respective said first and second ends of said cover belt; said cover belt extending from said first end thereof to said first deflecting means and being trained thereabout; said cover belt extending from said first deflecting means to said third deflecting means and being trained thereabout; said cover belt extending from said third deflecting means to said fourth deflecting means and being trained thereabout; said cover belt extending from said fourth deflecting means to said second deflecting means and being trained thereabout; said cover belt extending from said second deflecting means to said second end; said cover belt extending in two superposed layers between said first end and said first deflecting means and between said second end and said second deflecting means.