Comminuting apparatus and method

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING VERY FINELY DIVIDED INTIMATE MIXTURES SUCH AS DISPERSIONS, SUSPENSIONS, EMULSIONS OR THE LIKE COMPRISING ROTOR AND STATOR MEMBERS HAVING COOPERATING FACES RELATIVELY MOVABLE AT HIGH SPEED BETWEEN WHICH MATERIALS ARE FED FOR TREATMENT, A CENTRAL OPENING IN ONE OF SAID MEMBERS THROUGH WHICH THE MATERIAL IS FED, ONE OF SAID BODIES HAVING AN ANNULAR SHOULDER DEFINING A SURFACE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF THE BODIES IN A PLANE SPACED FROM THE MAJOR SURFACE OF THE COOPERATING FACES AND THE OTHER OF SAID BODIES HAVING AN ANNULAR RIM TERMINATING IN A SURFACE IN CLOSELY SPACED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE SURFACE OF SAID SHOULDER AND SAID RIM AND SHOULDER DEFINING A NARROW WORKING GAP BETWEEN THE BODIES EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL WITH THE AXIS OF THE BODIES, THE COOPERATING FACES RADIALLY OUTWARD OF SAID CENTRAL OPENING DEFINING A CONICAL SPACE FOR A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE OUTWARDLY OF THE OPENING AND A NARROW WORKING GAP RADIALLY OUTWARD OF SAID CONICAL SPACE, ONE OF SAID BODIES HAVING AN UNNULAR CHANEL WITH A DEPTH IN EXCESS OF THE WORKING GAP AND EXTENDING RADIALLY BETWEEN SAID RIM AND SAID SECOND MENTIONED NARROW WORKING GAP, CONCENTRICALLY ARRANGED SPACED ROWS OF TEETH EXTENDING IN ALTERNATE ARRANGEMENT FROM THE RESPECTIVE FACES IN A