Patent ID: 7497031
Filing Date: 2009-03-03
Classification: F26B

Abstract:
1. An agricultural product drying apparatus for the substantially rectangular container box of a transport vehicle, comprising: a product dryer for holding bulk agricultural product; the product dryer having an upper end with an upper periphery, a lower end, and sloping, perforated sides, the upper end having a larger cross section than the lower end; the lower end having an openable and re-closable product dryer gate; the sloping sides and product dryer gate forming the outer surface of the product dryer; at least one header pipe extending from the outer surface into the interior of the product dryer; the at least one header pipe being perforated along at least a portion of its length; means for introducing air through the outer surface; means for introducing air into the at least one header pipe; means for apportioning the air between the outer surface and the at least one header pipe; the means for introducing air through the outer surface comprising fixing the upper end of the product dryer to the vertical walls of the container box along the entirety of the periphery, and introducing air into the container box at a point below the periphery; the means for introducing air into the at least one header pipe comprising fixing at least one open end of the at least one header pipe to, and through, at least one specific location on the outer surface of the product dryer; at least one of the at least one header pipes dividing into at least one perforated branch pipe within the product dryer; the means for variably restricting air flow into the at least one header pipe comprising at least one hinged damper positioned so as to variably block entry of air into the at least one specific location; the lower end and the product dryer gate being rectangular and congruent, the product dryer gate having a left edge and a right edge, the left edge being attached by a first hinge to the congruent edge on the lower end; the product dryer gate being subdivided into a number n of rectangular panels, each panel having left and right edges equal in length to the width of the dryer gate, and having opposing front and back edges, the panels being arrayed substantially parallel to each other and to the first hinge and being joined together left to right by n−1 secondary hinges; the product dryer portion of the apparatus being fixed in a container box having a hopper chute built into the bottom of the container box and having a horizontal hopper gate affixed to the lower end of the hopper chute; a means for opening and closing the horizontal hopper gate and the product dryer gate simultaneously in a single motion comprising front and back horizontal bars, each bar having a left end and a right end; the horizontal bars further comprising cams at the right ends; the horizontal bars being slidingly mounted in holes through the left side of the hopper chute; the left ends of the horizontal bars being outside the hopper chute and the right ends of the horizontal bars being inside the hopper chute; the right ends of the horizontal bars being supported rigidly and vertically above the right end of the sliding hopper gate by struts inside the hopper chute, the struts having a vertical extent above the sliding hopper gate; the left ends of the horizontal bars being supported rigidly and vertically above the left end of the sliding hopper gate by struts outside the hopper chute, the struts having a vertical extent above the sliding hopper gate; the vertical extent being sufficient to position the horizontal bars and the cams into sliding contact with the panels of the product dryer gate when the product dryer gate is in contact with the lower end; and the cams lowering the panels from right to left when the bars are retracted to the left and raising the panels from left to right when the bars are extended to the right.