Methods and apparatus for dispensing particulate material

Claim 1

A METHOD OF DISPENSING PARTICULATE MATERIAL, SAID METHOD COMPRISING: POSITIONING PARTICULATE MATERIAL WITHIN CONTAINING MEANS; IMPARTING CYCLIC SEQUENCES OF MOVEMENT TO SAID CONTAINING MEANS; DURING A FIRST PERIOD OF EACH CYCLIC SEQUENCE, MOVING SAID CONTAINING MEANS WITH SUFFICIENT RAPIDITY TO CAUSE SAID CONTAINING MEANS TO MOVE MORE RAPIDLY THAN THE MASS OF MATERIAL CONTAINED THEREWITHIN WITH THE MASS OF MATERIAL REMAINING SUBSTANTIALLY COHERENT; DURING A SECOND PERIOD OF EACH CYCLIC SEQUENCE, MOVING SAID CONTAINING MEANS GENERALLY OPPOSITELY TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST PERIOD; SELECTIVELY REGULATING THE COMMENCEMENT OF EACH OF SAID FIRST PERIODS; SELECTIVELY REGULATING THE COMMENCEMENT OF EACH OF SAID SECOND PERIODS, INDEPENDENT OF THE REGULATION OF THE COMMENCEMENT OF SAID FIRST PERIODS; SELECTIVELY REGULATING THE MOVEMENT INDUCING FORCE APPLIED TO SAID CONTAINING MEANS DURING EACH OF SAID FIRST PERIODS; SELECTIVELY REGULATING THE MOVEMENT INDUCING FORCE APPLIED TO SAID CONTAINING MEANS DURING EACH OF SAID SECOND PERIODS, INDEPENDENT OF THE REGULATION OF MOVEMENT INDUCING FORCE APPLIED TO SAID CONTAINING MEANS DURING SAID FIRST PERIODS; ALLOWING PARTICULATE MATERIAL WITHIN SAID CONTAINING MEANS TO GRAVITATE DOWNWARDLY AND DISCHARGE THROUGH OUTLET MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CONTAINING MEANS.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING PARTICULATE MATERIAL, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: FRAME MEANS; MATERIAL CONTAINING MEANS HAVING OUTLET MEANS TOWARD WHICH PARTICULATE MATERIAL IS ADAPTED TO GRAVITATE; CONNECTING MEANS SUPPORTING SAID CONTAINING MEANS ON SAID FRAME FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO; OPERATING MEANS FOR APPLYING MOVEMENT INDUCING FORCES TO SAID CONTAINING MEANS THEREBY IMPARTING CYLIC SEQUENCES OF MOVEMENT TO SAID CONTAINING MEANS, SAID OPERATING MEANS INCLUDING, MEANS ADAPTED TO CAUSE SAID CONTAINING MEANS TO UNDERGO A FIRST MOVEMENT, AND MEANS ADAPTED TO CAUSE SAID CONTAINING MEANS TO UNDERGO A SECOND MOVEMENT GENERALLY OPPOSITELY TO SAID FIRST MOVEMENT; MEANS ADAPTED TO SELECTIVELY REGULATE THE COMMENCEMENT OF EACH OF SAID FIRST MOVEMENTS; MEANS ADAPTED TO SELECTIVELY REGULATE THE COMMENCEMENT OF EACH OF SAID SECOND MOVEMENTS, INDEPENDENT OF THE REGULATION OF THE COMMENCEMENT OF SAID FIRST MOVEMENT; MEANS ADAPTED TO SELECTIVELY VARY THE MOVEMENT INDUCING FORCE APPLIED BY SAID OPERATING MEANS TO SAID CONTAINING MEANS TO INDUCE EACH OF SAID FIRST MOVEMENTS; AND MEANS ADAPTED TO SELECTIVELY VARY THE MOVEMENT INDUCING FORCE APPLIED BY SAID OPERATING MEANS TO SAID CONTAINING MEANS TO INDUCE EACH OF SAID SECOND MOVEMENTS, INDEPENDENT OF THE VARYING THE MOVEMENT INDUCING FORCE APPLIED BY SAID OPERATING MEANS TO SAID CONTAINING MEANS TO INDUCE SAID FIRST MOVEMENTS.