Patent ID: 8469636

Claim:
A granular material splitter for mounting on the frame of a commodity delivery device, the splitter having an elongated body with a single input port located at an upstream end of the body for receiving a flow of air and entrained material, multiple output ports located at a downstream end of the body opposite the upstream end, and a central portion connecting the input port with the output ports for dividing the flow into multiple outputs for delivery through the output ports, the improvement comprising: the central portion comprising a chamber diverging from the input port to the output ports, the chamber having first and second vertically offset, planar walls, upright sidewalls connecting the first and second planar walls, a plurality of upright diverting fins extending longitudinally in said chamber between said input and output ports, being spaced from each other and said upright sidewalls and being connected to and extending vertically from the first planar wall towards the second wall, whereby the fins cooperate with the first planar wall and upright sidewalls to form material directing channels for directing an amount of the entrained material to each of the output ports in a downstream direction of travel of the entrained material from the input port to the output ports, the plurality of fins respectively terminating vertically in a plurality of longitudinal edges offset vertically from the second horizontal wall a distance resulting in a blockage preventing open area being defined between the longitudinal edges and the second wall allowing passage of clumps of the material with dimensions larger than the cross-sections of the material directing channels.