Patent ID: 7624679

Claim:
An unloader for a cotton compacting structure including a cotton compacting chamber, the chamber having a floor therein, at least one cotton driver extending along the floor, and an open end, the unloader comprising: an unloading element mounted to the compacting structure and having a first end located adjacent to the open end of the chamber in position for receiving a mass of compacted cotton from the chamber thereon, a second end opposite the first end, a first surface portion extending between the first end and an intermediate location disposed generally between the first and second ends, a second surface portion extending between the intermediate location and the second end, the unloading element being configured so as to be tiltable with the compacting structure downwardly toward the second end of the unloading element; at least one cotton driver extending along the second surface portion, and the first surface portion is without a cotton driver; and loose cotton retaining apparatus disposed on the unloading element generally at the intermediate location, the loose cotton retaining apparatus being configured so as to have an upstanding orientation when in an unbiased free state, to be resiliently yieldable in an unloading direction by application of a biasing force thereagainst by the mass of compacted cotton so as to allow passage of the mass thereover, and to resiliently return to the upstanding orientation upon passage of the mass and in opposition to any biasing force applied thereagainst by only loose cotton on the first surface portion, for retaining the loose cotton on the first surface portion and to prevent passage of the retained loose cotton onto the second surface portion, wherein the loose cotton retaining apparatus comprises an array of upstanding filaments extending across at least a substantial portion of the unloading element, and the filaments is configured to bend over and lay on top of the second surface portion when the mass of compacted cotton contacts the filaments.