Method and apparatus for making cork compositions and the like

Claim 2

IN A METHOD OF MAKING CORK COMPOSITION AND THE LIKE, THE STEPS COMPRISING DELIVERING AT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM RATE INTO A COATING ZONE AN UNSUPPORTED AND FREE-FALLING, THIN STREAM OF CORK GRANULES AND DELIVERING AN UNSUPPORTED AND FALLING, SUBSTANTIALLY UNBROKEN THIN STREAM OF THERMOSENSITIVE BINDER MATERIAL AT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM RATE INTO SAID COATING ZONE TO SYSTEMATICALLY DISTRIBUTE SAID BINDER ONTO SAID UNSUPPORTED AND FREE-FALLLING GRANULES AS SAID GRANULES PASS THROUGH SAID COATING ZONE.

Claim 3

IN AN APPARATUS OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, THE COMBINATION OF A SEPARATION WEDGE WHICH TAPERS AT ITS UPPER END TO AN APEX, A PAIR OF GUIDING PLATES DIRECTED GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY AND HAVING THEIR LOWER PORTIONS DIRECTED TOWARD ONE ANOTHER TO DEFINE A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR OPENING, CONFINING MEANS FORMING PART OF SAID SEPARATION WEDGE DISPOSED ABOVE EACH OF SAID GUIDING PLATES AND DEFINING THEREWITH A PAIR OF NARROW SLOTS OPENING INTO SAID GENERALLY RECTANGULAR OPENING FOR DIRECTING THIN, WIDE STREAMS OF GRANULES THROUGH SAID OPENING AS A SINGLE, UNSUPPORTED AND FREE-FALLING STREAM OF GRANULES, A DISTRIBUTION CONDUIT DISPOSED ABOVE SAID OPENING FOR DIRECTING A PLURALITY OF THIN STREAMS OF THERMOSENSITIVE COATING MATERIAL ONTO A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SAID GRANULES CONSTITUTING SAID UNSUPPORTED FREE-FALLING STREAM OF GRANULES, AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTING SAID GUIDING PLATES WITH RESPECT TO SAID CONFINING MEANS TO AFTER THE SIZE OF SAID SLOTS.

Claim 4

IN AN APPARATUS OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, THE COMBINATION OF A SEPARATION WEDGE WHICH TAPERS AT ITS UPPER END TO AN APEX, A PAIR OF GUIDING PLATES DIRECTED GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY AND HAVING THEIR LOWER PORTIONS DIRECTED TOWARD ONE ANOTHER TO DEFINE A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR OPENING, CONFINING MEANS FORMING PART OF SAID SEPARATION WEDGE DISPOSED ABOVE EACH OF SAID GUIDING PLATES AND DEFINING THEREWITH A PAIR OF NARROW SLOTS OPENING INTO SAID GENERALLY RECTANGULAR OPENING FOR DIRECTING THIN, WIDE STREAMS OF GRANULES THROUGH SAID OPENING AS A SINGLE, UNSUPPORTED AND FREE-FALLING STREAM OF GRANULES, A DISTRIBUTION CONDUIT DISPOSED ABOVE SAID OPENING FOR DIRECTING A PLURALITY OF THIN STREAMS OF THERMOSENSITIVE COATING MATERIAL ONTO A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SAID GRANULES CONSTITUTING SAID UNSUPPORTED FREE-FALLING STREAM OF GRANULES, AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTING SAID GUIDING PLATES WITH RESPECT TO SAID CONFINING MEANS TO AFTER THE SIZE OF SAID SLOTS.