Exhaust gas treating unit

Claim 1

CATALYTIC APPARATUS ADAPTED FOR ATTACHMENT TO AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES AND THE LIKE FOR ELIMINATION OF OBNOXIOUS COMPONENTS OF EXHAUST GASES THEREFROM AND INCLUDING A BED OF CATALYST PARTICLES WHICH TEND TO BECOME COATED WITH FOREIGN MATTER DURING USE AND THUS LOSE THEIR ACTIVITY, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING A HOUSING FOR ATTACHMENT TO SAID VEHICLE OR THE LIKE AND SUBJECT TO VIBRATION TRANSMITTED FROM SAID VEHICLE THERETO, A CONTAINER FOR SAID CATALYST PARTICLES MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND COMPRISED OF A PAIR OF SPACED APART, PARALLEL, FORAMINOUS MEMBERS EXTENDING ACROSS SAID HOUSING AND DEFINING BETWEEN THEM A RELATIVELY SHALLOW SPACE FOR RECEIVING A LAYER OF CATALYST PARTICLES, MEANS CONNECTING SAID HOUSING TO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD OF THE VEHICLE ENGINE WHEREBY EXHAUST GASES THEREFROM PASS THROUGH SAID FORAMINOUS MEMBERS IN CONTACT WITH SAID CATALYST PARTICLES, AT LEAST ONE CATALYST SUPPLY HOPPER EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY FROM AND OPENING INTO SAID CATALYST CONTAINING MEANS, WHEREBY ON VIBRATION OF SAID HOUSING DURING OPERATION OF SAID VEHICLE, CATALYST PARTICLES FLOW BY GRAVITY FROM SAID HOPPER INTO SAID CATALYST CONTAINING MEANS TO REPLACE CATALYST LOST FROM SAID CONTAINER BY ATTRITION AND THUS TO MAINTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM LEVEL OF CATALYST IN SAID CONTAINER, FLOW RESTRICTING MEANS AT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID HOPPER FOR RESTRICTING THE FLOW OF SAID CATALYST PARTICLES INTO SAID CONTAINER, SAID FLOW RESTRICTING MEANS BEING ARRANGED TO PREVENT SAID PARTICLES FROM RISING ABOVE A PREDETERMINED LEVEL IN SAID CONTAINER, THUS PREVENTING SAID CONTAINER FROM BECOMING TIGHTLY PACKED WITH CATALYST PARTICLES AND THEREBY ASSURING MOVEMENT OF SAID CATALYST PARTICLES WITHIN SAID CONTAINER AT ALL TIMES IN RESPONSE TO VIBRATION TRANSMITTED THERETO FROM THE VEHICLE SO AS TO FREE SAID PARTICLES FROM FOREIGN DEPOSITS AS THEY ACCUMULATE.