Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
153 words
A method for cleaning and drying the surface of non-absorbent articles which comprises: (a) immersing the article in a boiling liquid azetropic organic solvent which has a density greater than water and in which water is soluble in amounts of from about 0.005 to 1.0 percent by weight; (b) lifting the article free from the liquid solvent; (c) reimmersing the article in a second bath of said azeotropic solvent which has a greater purity than the bath of step (a); (d) lifting the article from the solvent bath of step (c) and into the vapor phase of the said azeotropic solvent; (e) rinsing the article while it is in the said vapor phase with the said liquid azeotropic solvent that is freshly condensed and is substantially freed of moisture; and (f) thereafter retaining said article in the vapor zone of the said azeotropic solvent until condensation of vapor on the article has ceased.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
153 words
A method for cleaning and drying the surface of non-absorbent articles which comprises: (a) immersing the article in a boiling liquid azetropic organic solvent which has a density greater than water and in which water is soluble in amounts of from about 0.005 to 1.0 percent by weight; (b) lifting the article free from the liquid solvent; (c) reimmersing the article in a second bath of said azeotropic solvent which has a greater purity than the bath of step (a); (d) lifting the article from the solvent bath of step (c) and into the vapor phase of the said azeotropic solvent; (e) rinsing the article while it is in the said vapor phase with the said liquid azeotropic solvent that is freshly condensed and is substantially freed of moisture; and (f) thereafter retaining said article in the vapor zone of the said azeotropic solvent until condensation of vapor on the article has ceased.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 wherein agitation is provided in the reimmersion bath of step (c).
Claim 4
Independent Claim
118 words
A method of purifying a bath of azeotropic solvent mixture which has been contaminated with soluble and insoluble material including water which comprises: (a) filtering the contaminated azeotropic solvent mixture to free it of particulates, (b) subjecting the filtered azeotropic mixture from step (a) to distillation, to separate therefrom the relatively high boiling components; (c) subjecting the distillate from step (b) to molecular sieve drying in which the molecular sieve has a water retention rate of 40-70 percent by weight at a flow rate of about 7 gallons/hour/20 pounds of sieve, to substantially remove any residual amount of moisture; and (d) regulating the return flow to the said bath of the substantially dried azeotropic mixture of step (c).
Claim 5
Independent Claim
118 words
A method of purifying a bath of azeotropic solvent mixture which has been contaminated with soluble and insoluble material including water which comprises: (a) filtering the contaminated azeotropic solvent mixture to free it of particulates, (b) subjecting the filtered azeotropic mixture from step (a) to distillation, to separate therefrom the relatively high boiling components; (c) subjecting the distillate from step (b) to molecular sieve drying in which the molecular sieve has a water retention rate of 40-70 percent by weight at a flow rate of about 7 gallons/hour/20 pounds of sieve, to substantially remove any residual amount of moisture; and (d) regulating the return flow to the said bath of the substantially dried azeotropic mixture of step (c).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the azeotropic mixture from step (c) is filtered before introducing it to step (d).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 3 wherein vapor condensed above the bath is condensed, collected, dried and reintroduced to the bath.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 5 wherein th dried condensate is filtered prior to reintroducing it into the bath.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
121 words
An apparatus for cleaning and drying surfaces of non-absorbent articles comprising: (a) a treating container for holding and heating an azeotropic organic liquid solvent bath and for generating a vapor zone of the organic liquid above the liquid bath, (b) means to continuously remove a stream of the liquid from the bath, (c) a filter for the stream removed in (b), (d) a purifying still to distill and separate the azeotrope from the contaminants present in the filtered stream of step (c), (e) a molecular sieve to remove substantially all residual moisture from the distillate azeotropic organic mixture as obtained from step (d); and (f) means to return the substantially dried product of step (c) to the bath of step (a).
Claim 10
Independent Claim
121 words
An apparatus for cleaning and drying surfaces of non-absorbent articles comprising: (a) a treating container for holding and heating an azeotropic organic liquid solvent bath and for generating a vapor zone of the organic liquid above the liquid bath, (b) means to continuously remove a stream of the liquid from the bath, (c) a filter for the stream removed in (b), (d) a purifying still to distill and separate the azeotrope from the contaminants present in the filtered stream of step (c), (e) a molecular sieve to remove substantially all residual moisture from the distillate azeotropic organic mixture as obtained from step (d); and (f) means to return the substantially dried product of step (c) to the bath of step (a).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 7 in which agitation means is provided for the bath.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein a filter is interposed to filter the product obtained from the molecular sieve of step (e) before the product is reintroduced to the bath of container (a).