Patent ID: 7267051

Claim:
Cotton receiving and densification apparatus, comprising: structure disposed in covering relation to an upper region of a cotton compacting chamber of a cotton module builder and a cotton distributing and compacting apparatus therein, the cotton distributing and compacting apparatus supported in the upper region of the compacting chamber for movement downwardly against cotton collected therein, the upper region having a predetermined first sideward extent, the structure defining a cotton receiving chamber generally above and downwardly open to one end of the upper region of the cotton compacting chamber and a cotton densification chamber in connection with the cotton receiving chamber generally above and downwardly open to an opposite end of the cotton compacting chamber, the structure defining an endwardly facing inlet opening in connection with an inlet region of the cotton receiving chamber and disposed for receiving a side-by-side plurality of flows of airborne cotton, the inlet opening and the inlet region of the cotton receiving chamber having a predetermined second sideward extent which is equal to at least twice the first sideward extent of the upper region of the compacting chamber, the structure including side wall portions defining sides of the cotton receiving chamber which taper convergingly from the inlet region to the densification chamber such that at least portions of flows of airborne cotton received through the inlet opening into the inlet region will be convergingly guided by the side wall portions into the densification chamber, wherein the side wall portions of the structure defining the cotton receiving chamber extend sidewardly beyond sides of the module builder, and an upper portion of the module builder on which the structure is located is vertically retractable to a retracted position in relation to a lower portion of the module builder, such that when the upper portion is in the retracted position, the side wall portions of the cotton receiving chamber extend sidewardly beyond sides of the module builder.