Container for storing particulate materials

A container for loading, storing and/or transporting particulate material such as ashes, coals or similar materials while preventing airborne contaminants such as smoke escaping therefrom, said container comprising:

• (a) a container body comprising a front wall, a back wall, a pair of sidewalls, a bottom and an open top, said bottom wall being connected with the lower portions of said front, back and sidewalls to form the bottom of said container body, said container body being provided with an opening in said front wall having a generally horizontal lower edge;
• (b) a removable cover member which closes said open top of said container body;
• (c) deflection means attached to the lower surface of said cover member having a lower extremity which converges downward within said container body;
• (d) a door member pivotally connected intermediate its ends along said lower edge of said front wall opening, to divide said door member into an outer portion larger than said front wall opening and an inner portion, said door member being pivoted from an open loading position wherein the outer portion of said door is substantially horizontal such that said particulate material can be disposed on said outer portion, said door member in said open loading position together with said deflection means dividing said container body into a loading chamber, a collection chamber and a deflection chamber, to a dumping position wherein said particulate material is dumped into said collection chamber, to a closed position wherein said outer portion of said door member closes said front wall opening.