Patent ID: 8251229
Filing Date: 2012-08-28
Classification: B65B,B65G,D01B,D01G,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A module feeder for delivering seed cotton clumps to a cotton gin stand comprising a disperser having a vertically extending open front defined by a top wall and side walls and a series of disperser drums therein extending between the side walls, said disperser drums comprising a topmost drum, a bottom most drum and at least one intermediate drum vertically spaced in said disperser so as to reduce the contents of a seed cotton module to clumps for deliv-ering the clumps to the gin stand, a conveyor having opposite ends and conveyor elements overriding a stationary base and extending horizontally from said open front below said bottom drum whereby said conveyor is adapted to convey seed cotton modules into the open front of the disperser, unwrapper equipment intermediate the ends of the conveyor for assisting in unwrapping wrapped seed cotton modules and having a downstream end upstream of the disperser open front, and a panel disposed at a fixed location on each side of the conveyor extending in a conveying direction of travel of the conveyor from adjacent the disperser open front to at least the downstream end of the equipment and extending upwardly from a first location no higher than said conveyor elements of the conveyor to a second location position above the conveyor to at least a predetermined height above the lowermost intermediate disperser drum to prevent material in the module from escaping off a side of the conveyor between the unwrapping equipment and the disperser.