Abstract: An elongated stockpile of flowable solid material with two halves disposed at the opposite sides of a longitudinal vertical symmetry plane is accumulated by transporting the material feeding portion of an elongated conveyor in the interior and lengthwise of the upper slope of a mansard-shaped shed together with a manifold having two ducts which receive flowable material from the feeding portion and flank the conveyor. The ducts discharge material onto two discrete transverse conveyors which are shiftable so that their discharge ends move nearer to or further away from the symmetry plane. The transverse conveyors are movable with the manifold lengthwise of the upper slope and are mounted on a gauntry which travels along rails. The transverse conveyors discharge streams of flowable material which forms elongated piles, first on the floor and thereupon on the layer of flowable material which is formed by the piles covering the floor at both sides of the symmetry plane.

Abstract: An improved endless belt conveyor apparatus includes a supporting frame in the form of a pair of parallel longitudinal carrier rails that flank the endless belt in a plane below the upper carrying run of the belt. The carrier rails extend continuously from end-to-end of the conveyor and have uninterrupted trolley supporting portions that are adapted to support wheeled trolleys for movement therealong. The apparatus may be readily converted from a belt conveyor to an animal feeding apparatus that includes a reciprocating plow assembly by mounting such a plow assembly in a carriage that has wheeled trolleys that ride on the trolley supporting portions of the carrier rails. The conveyor frame structure also permits easy addition of the drive components for the reciprocating carriage.

Abstract: A material transfer assembly is provided which includes a carriage of an unloading apparatus which is movable along a fixed, elongated conveyor housing. The carriage includes a funnel plate with an opening through which powdered material discharges through a flexible conduit and into a separate discharge guide which the carriage pulls along with it. The discharge guide maintains sliding engagement with the conveyor housing to provide closed conduit conveyance of the material into the conveyor housing. Hydraulic jacks pivotally mounted between the discharge guide and the carriage suspend the guide from the carriage, and towing chains connected to these two structures transmit pulling forces from the carriage to the guide so that the guide may move relative to the carriage to maintain the desired engagement with the conveyor housing despite variations in alignment between the carriage path and the conveyor as the carriage and guide move along the conveyor.

Abstract: A discharge installation to be used in a silo for bulk material in powdered or granular condition comprising a central column of interspaced annular collar plates surrounding a central discharge chute, subsequent collar plates merging into each other forming a mainly helical path, a traveling scraper device being provided in the space between subsequent collar plates.

Abstract: A grain conveyor for mounting at the top of a granary. It includes a main conveyor component having an endless belt extending the length of the granary. A plow is utilized for deflecting the grain from the belt laterally into bins in the granary. The plow is mounted directly on and supported by the trougher rolls that support the upper run of the belt, and is free of support by the main frame of the main conveyor component. The plow includes deflector means, for deflecting the grain, that is adjustable for deflecting a greater or lesser amount of grain to either side selectively.

Abstract: The invention consists of conveyor system that receives comminuted material from an unloading apparatus, discharges the material on a conveyor and transports it to a storage, handling or other transport system. The system provided includes a discharging apparatus and a conveyor apparatus. The conveyor apparatus comprises an elongate conveyor housing having an elongate opening, a conveyor belt disposed in the housing, and a flexible belt cover overlying the opening of the housing in covering engagement. The discharging apparatus comprises a top receiving section connected to an unloading apparatus, a lower shroud overlying the opening of the conveyor housing and two discharging chutes connecting the top section and the shroud and defining an aperture between them. The shroud disengages the cover from the housing and guides it through the aperture and through the discharging apparatus while maintaining covering engagement of the remaining portions of the cover and while depositing material on the conveyor belt.

Abstract: Disclosed is a feed conveyor for receiving feed and depositing it into a feeder bunk. It includes a hopper for receiving feed and depositing it upon a motor-run belt conveyor. Disposed between the upper or load-carrying flight and the lower or return flight of the conveyor belt are pulleys over which is reeved a cable, rope or chain in a horizontal plane, that is, each cable flight is located laterally with respect to the opposite flight. These pulleys are run by a drive taken from the same motor as that driving the belt of the conveyor via pulleys which transfer the plane of the drive belt from the vertical to the horizontal. The cable joined into a continuous loop by a cable clamp having holes drilled in one face thereof for insertion of the cable ends and a concave semi-cylindrical depression formed in the same face so as to match closely the radius of the pulleys driving the cable.

Abstract: Methods of and systems for preventing air pollution in the handling and storing of particulate solids out-of-doors in bulk form; i.e., in a pile. A windfoil arrangement keeps material from being entrained in wind blowing over the pile and thereby causing an air pollution problem. The problem is particularly acute when material is being dumped; it also arises when wind strips the particulate material from the pile, and it can result in the particulate material being scattered over a widespread area (typically one mile or more in radius) which indicates that the air pollution is not restricted to the immediate vicinity of the area in which the material is stored.

Abstract: A livestock feeding apparatus which includes an endless belt conveyor. Feed is supplied to the upper run of the belt and is selectively discharged from either side of the conveyor belt by a feed discharge unit. The feed discharge unit includes a frame mounted to travel in a reciprocating path above the belt and the frame carries a feed diverting plow and a rotatable brush. The plow and brush are disposed in generally parallel arrangement and can be pivoted between a first diagonal position with respect to the side edge of the belt to a second diagonal position. Movement of the conveyor belt is transmitted through a drive mechanism to rotate the brush about its axis. As the feed discharge unit moves relative to the belt, feed is discharged from the side edge of the moving belt by the plow and the brush acts to remove residual feed from behind the plow.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring eggs continuously conveyed in spaced-apart, aligned relationship by a conveyor to a receiving station at which eggs are packaged according to their individual physical characteristics. A frame on which solenoid-actuated plungers are mounted is disposed adjacent the conveyor at the receiving station for releasing eggs having the same physical characteristics from the conveyor in a predetermined sequence at the receiving station. The frame is movable with respect to the receiving station according to the speed of the conveyor.

Abstract: A manure scraper assembly for removal of manure from collecting sheets used in association with poultry cage systems. The scraper assembly includes a blade member which is angularly disposed with respect to the manure collecting sheets and which has the lower portion of each end thereof raised sufficiently to facilitate sliding across the overlapped edges of the manure collecting sheets. The scraper assembly is pivotally movable with respect to the manure collecting sheets so that the leading and trailing ends of the scraper blade are functionally interchanged when the direction of movement of the scraper assembly is reversed upon reaching the end of the length of manure collecting sheets.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for attaching a continuously moving elastic ribbon to a continuously moving web such that only selected discrete areas of a finished conformable garment fabricated from the web are elasticized. A continuously moving belt formed of plate members hinged together and engaging the continuously moving web is guided by cam means to cause adjacent plate members to fold and thereby form folds in the web. After folding of the web, the continuously moving elastic ribbon is moved into contact with areas of the web between the folds and is adhered to the web at these areas. The elastic is cut opposite the folded areas of the web corresponding to areas in the finished diaper in which it is desired not to provide elasticization. The belt means is then guided so that the plate members unfold to thereby unfold the web.

Abstract: Apparatus for depositing cattle feed in an elongated bin in an evenly distributed relation. The apparatus includes a conveyor belt positioned above the feed bin and for supporting feed, a hopper for depositing feed on the supporting surface of the conveyor belt, and a plow adapted to move along the length of the conveyor belt to sweep feed off of the conveyor belt into the bin. The plow is driven by a flexible metal cable reeved over pulleys positioned at opposite ends of the conveyor belt.

Abstract: Apparatus for depositing cattle feed in an elongated bin in an evenly distributed relation including a conveyor belt having a surface for supporting feed, a hopper for depositing feed on the supporting surface of the belt, and a plow including a plow face positioned adjacent the supporting surface of the conveyor belt and adapted to sweep feed off of the conveyor belt into the feed bin. A restraining member is carried by the plow and engages an edge of the conveyor belt for supporting the belt in position and preventing it from moving laterally.

Abstract: A livestock feeding apparatus having an endless belt supported on an elongated table above a feed bunk by a plurality of stands. The stands are laterally and vertically adjustable to level the apparatus and accommodate different sized bunks. The belt has an upper run that rides on a wood deck secured to the support. An idler pulley and drive pulley engages one end of the belt opposite ends. The belt is retained in driving engagement with the drive pulley by a driven roller engageable with the lower run of the belt adjacent the drive pulley. A motor drives the roller at a speed so that the surface speed of the roller is greater than the linear speed of the belt to maintain the lower portion of the run of the belt between the roller and the drive pulley under tension. A sweep assembly slidably mounted on the wood deck operates to move the material off of the side of the top run of the belt into the bunk.

Abstract: A collator mechanism for transporting and feeding sheets of material such as paper, microfiche film or the like to individual bins. The sheets are carried by an apertured conveyor tape which slides along an apertured vacuum manifold so that the sheet is maintained in contact with the tape by the vacuum. The conveyor tape delivers the sheet to a deflector assembly which is progressively stepped through a plurality of indexed positions adjacent the bins. The deflector assembly includes upper and lower deflector rollers which bend the tape and sheet sufficiently to feed it toward the adjacent bin, release the sheet from the tape and then bend the tape away from the sheet being conveyed and the adjacent bin. The momentum and rigidity of the sheet carries the sheet, after its release from the tape, into the adjacent bin.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for delivering animal feed to animals and especially to feedbunks for cattle. The apparatus includes a carriage which travels back and forth over a conveyor belt which carries the feed along the feedbunk. The carriage has a plow and a deflector which engage feed and discharge it off one side of the belt or the other. The plow and deflector are located obliquely at angles to the belt so as to discharge all of the feed entirely off one side. An arm moves both the plow and the deflector from one oblique position to another when actuated by trip members located at predetermined positions along the belt. The deflector engages any feed not discharged by the plow and discharges it off the same side of the belt, and also cleans the belt.

Abstract: A method of placing bulk potatoes in a storage facility, the method comprising a powered potato conveyor external to the storage facility upon which a stream of potatoes is deposited. Thereafter the stream of potatoes is deposited upon at least one potato conveyor belt located in the upper portion of the storage facility and extending the full axial length thereof. Potatoes are shaken by vibration of the external conveyor to remove dirt and other tare, and a picking station is provided exterior to the facility wherein remaining foreign objects are removed manually prior to storage, tare conveyor belts being provided to collect and displace the dirt and foreign objects to tare trucks for disposal. Inside the storage enclosure, the potatoes are moved gently from one or more main storage conveyors by a rotating brush onto one or more cross conveyor belts selectively settable at any point along the entire length of the main storage conveyor, and are evenly distributed across the enlarging potato pile below.

Abstract: The conveyor belt cleaner serves as a mechanical cleaner for an endless conveyor belt entrained about a pair of drums and includes a plurality of independently operable scraper or wiper blade assemblies for removing from the conveyor belt various types of abrasives and other objectionable foreign material. Each scraper blade assembly includes an elongated arm or lever which is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin of a bracket assembly. Adjustable stop means is interposed between the bracket assembly and the arm at one side of the pivot pin to limit the pivotal movement of the arm in one direction. An extension spring is interposed between the bracket assembly and the arm at the other side of the pivot pin for urging the arm in said one direction to bias the scraper blade, secured to one end of the arm, towards the belt. As the blade wears, the extension spring pivots the arm and continues to bias the blade towards the belt, with the pivoting of the arm being limited by the adjustable stop means.