roberts

Claim 1

A STORAGE APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) A CYLINDRICALLY SHAPED CONTAINER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY ENCLOSED BOTTOM AT ONE THEREOF AND BEING FORMED WITH AT LEAST ONE OPENING IN SAID BOTTOM IN SUBSTANTIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID CONTAINER; (B) A SHAFT MEMBER PROJECTING INTO SAID CONTAINER FROM ITS BOTTOM IN SUBSTANTIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID AXIS AND BEING DISPOSED TO ROTATE; (C) MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID ROTATABLE SHAFT MEMBER; (D) A PERFORATED RAIL EXTENDING AROUND THE INSIDE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SHAPED CONTAINER, SAID PERFORATIONS BEING DISPOSED TO RECEIVE A DRIVE SPROCKET; (E) A RADIALLY EXTENDING DRIVE SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED AT ITS INNER END TO SAID SHAFT MEMBER AND HAVING A DRIVE SPROCKET RIGIDLY FIXED TO ITS OUTER END AND SAID SPROCKET BEING DISPOSED TO COOPERATE WITH SAID PERFORATED RAIL SO AS TO CAUSE SAID SHAFT MEMBER TO ROTATE AND SAID RADIALLY EXTENDING DRIVE SHAFT TO PIVOTALLY ROTATE ABOUT THE SAID AXIS ON SAID SHAFT MEMBER WHEN SAID DRIVE SHAFT IS CAUSED TO ROTATE; (F) A WORM CONVEYOR DISPOSED ABOUT SAID RADIALLY EXTENDING DRIVE SHAFT AND DISPOSED TO ROTATE INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT SO AS TO TRANSPORT PARTICULATE OR GRANULAR MATERIALS RADIALLY INWARDLY TOWARD SAID AT LEAST ONE OPENING SO AS TO EJECT SAID MATERIAL FROM SAID CONTAINER THROUGH SAID AT LEAST ONE OPENING; (G) MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DRIVE SHAFT, AND (H) MEANS FOR INDEPENDENTLY ROTATING SAID WORM CONVEYOR SO AS TO TRANSPORT PARTICULATE OR GRANULAR MATERIALS INWARDLY TOWARD SAID AT LEAST ONE OPENING.