Patent ID: 7234613

Claim:
A valve assembly, comprising: a substantially cylindrical base, comprising: an upwardly-opening base inlet end; and a downwardly-opening base discharge end; a downwardly-directed funnel positioned within the substantially cylindrical base for convergent discharging of material flowing through the valve assembly; a substantially cylindrical body positioned within the substantially cylindrical base atop the downwardly-directed funnel, the substantially cylindrical body being secured to the substantially cylindrical base with pins to preclude rotational motion of the substantially cylindrical body with respect to the substantially cylindrical base; a substantially cylindrical valve positioned within the substantially cylindrical body atop the downwardly-directed funnel, comprising: an upwardly-opening valve inlet end; a downwardly-opening valve discharge end having an edge delineating an enclosed semicircular portion of the downwardly-opening valve discharge end and an open semicircular portion of the downwardly-opening valve discharge end; and a baffle extending from a side edge portion of the upwardly-opening valve inlet end toward the edge; and a latch for controlling angular position of the substantially cylindrical valve; and a planar semicircular surface positioned between the downwardly-opening valve discharge end and a divergent end of the funnel; wherein the substantially cylindrical valve is adapted to rotate one-hundred-eighty degrees about an axis common to the substantially cylindrical valve, the substantially cylindrical base and the substantially cylindrical body and between a valve-open position, in which the planar semicircular surface and the enclosed semicircular portion are in substantial alignment, and a valve-closed position, in which the planar semicircular surface and the open semicircular surface are in substantial alignment.