Patent ID: 7556465

Claim:
A fast rate, at least partial gravity unloading, relatively large capacity particulate matter storage bin apparatus comprising: (a) a storage bin having a floor and a roof connected by a sheet metal cylindrical vertical wall having inner and outer sides, the cylindrical vertical wall having corrugated inner and outer sides, the storage bin having a bin opening which allows the particulate matter to pass through; (b) a box channel assembly of sheet metal attached to the inner side of the storage bin vertical wall, defining a substantially enclosed channel for flow of particulate matter, having a generally vertical longitudinal axis, and located inside the storage bin between the floor and the roof, the box channel assembly further comprising: i. a first vertical wall adjacent to or in abutment with the inner side of the bin and having a substantially flat and smooth inner surface and an outlet opening intersecting the bin opening in the cylindrical vertical wall of the bin, ii. a second vertical wall having a substantially flat and smooth inner surface and extending generally along said longitudinal axis but spaced apart inwardly from the bin cylindrical vertical wall and the first vertical wall of the channel assembly, iii. a plurality of inlet openings spaced apart from one another along the second vertical wall allowing particulate matter to enter the channel by gravity, each inlet opening having a top, bottom, and opposite sides, iv. an inwardly extending flange or member extending from a proximal edge at the second vertical wall to a free distal edge away from the second vertical wall along the top and bottom of each opening, the respective flanges or members defining generally horizontal planar surfaces configured to direct flow through each said respective opening and into said channel and assisting in controlled flow of particulate matter into the openings; v. side walls on opposite sides of and extending between said second vertical wall to the first vertical wall of the channel assembly, the side walls each having a substantially flat and smooth inner surface; (c) so that a substantially continuous channel of sheet metal is defined from above the bin opening to the bin opening for additional strengthening of the vertical side wall of the bin, but to also deter forces on the vertical side wall by controlled flow of particulate matter by the inwardly extending flanges or members through the inlet openings and to deter frictional erosion of the particulate matter and the vertical side wall of the bin by promoting controlled flow through flat sheet metal surfaces of the substantially enclosed sheet metal channel.