Discharge apparatus for bins

Claim 1

A discharge apparatus including a bin, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of rolls adjacently disposed in the lower portion of the bin, said plurality of rolls including an upper row of rolls and a lower row of rolls, said rolls dividing the bin into a retention area above the upper row of rolls and a discharge area below the lower row of rolls, with said rolls of said lower row of rolls being disposed substantially centrally along, or symmetrically of, a vertical path between spaces defined by adjacent ones of said upper row of rolls, and inhibiting gravitational passage of material from said retention area to said discharge area; the lower row of rolls arrayed in spaced adjacency substantially across the discharge area, said rolls in the lower row also being spaced from rolls in the upper row; means defining projections on the surfaces of said rolls for agitating materials stored in said bin and resting against said rolls; and drive means connected to said rolls for rotating said rolls and agitating material stored in said bin for encouraging gravitational flow of material between said rolls from said retention area to said discharge area, said drive means operatively connected to said upper and lower rows of rolls in such a manner as to rotate the upper and lower rows of rolls differently.