System for pneumatic transfer of goods

Claim 1

In a system for pneumatic transfer of goods from each of a plurality of vertical disposal chutes to a main collecting tube for delivery to a handling central, the system including valves interposed between the lower end openings of said chutes and said main collecting tube, said valves being adapted in a closed condition to prevent goods from passing from the respective chute into the collecting tube and in an open condition to permit periodical discharge into the main collecting tube of goods deposited during the intermediate period and collected in the lower portion of the chute, the improvement comprising: the lower end openings of at lest two chutes being in communication with an open upper portion of a common one of said valves, said common valve having a housing, the cross sectional area of which decreases towards a lower discharge opening communicating with the main collecting tube, a valve disk associated with said housing, said disk being a unitary member of elongate symmetrical configuration which, along with the open upper portion of said common valve, is adapted to the common contour of the lower end openings of said at least two chutes, said valve disk being journalled for swinging movement about an axis extending exteriorly of said valve housing and in a plane intersecting the path of goods moving from the lower end openings of each of said at least two chutes through said valve housing toward said lower discharge opening, said valve disk in a closing position underlying the lower end openings of each of said at least two chutes and in an open position uncovering said lower end openings, and said valve disk being journalled in such a position that the longitudinal axis of symmetry of said valve disk, at least during an initial phase of said swinging movement from closing to open position, will move away from a line connecting the centers of the lower end openings of said at least two chutes.