Anti-smog muffler

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ELIMINATING AIR POLLUTANTS FROM THE EXHAUST GASES ISSUING FROM THE MANIFOLD OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE COMPRISING: A PAIR OF GENERALLY CONCENTRIC TUBULAR MEMBERS; THE OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING END PLATES, ONE END PLATE, LOCATED NEARER THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, HAVING AN APERTURE THROUGH WHICH TO ADMIT EXHAUST GASES FROM THE MANIFOLD AND THE OTHER END PLATE, LOCATED FARTHER FROM THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, HAVING AN APERTURE TO PERMIT THE ESCAPE OF THE EXHAUST GASES; A PERFORATED PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES SMALLER THAN THE APERTURE IN SAID END PLATE NEARER THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD SAID PERFORATED PLATE BEING LOCATED NEAR TO AND SPACED FROM SAID END PLATE NEARER THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD; THE INNER TUBULAR MEMBER EXTENDING FROM SAID PERFORATED PLATE THROUGH THE APERTURE IN SAID END PLATE LOCATED FARTHER FORM THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, THE TRANSVERSE DIMENSION OF SAID INNER TUBULAR MEMBER BEING LARGER THAN THAT OF THE APERTURE IN SAID END PLATE NEARER THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, SAID INNER TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES IN ITS LATERAL SURFACE; THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN SAID INNER TUBULAR MEMBER AND SAID OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER INTERFROM THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD CONTAINING THEREIN PIECES OF POROUS HEAT-INSULATING MATERIAL, SAID PIECES OF HEAT-INSULATING MATERIAL CONTAINING CHEMICAL MEANS TO AID IN EFFECTING ELIMINATION OF AIR POLLUTANTS FROM THE EXHAUST GASES; AT LEAST ONE HEATING ELEMENT BEING LOCATED WITHIN SAID INNER TUBULAR MEMBER; MEANS FOR HEATING SAID HEATING ELEMENT TO AN IGNITION TEMERATURE SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT COMBUSITON OF AIR POLLUTANTS WITHIN SAID INNER TUBULAR MEMBER; A CONDUIT HAVING A DIAMETER SMALLER THAN THAT OF SAID INNER TUBULAR MEMBER EXTENDING THROUGH THE APERTURE IN SAID END PLATE NEARER THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD TO DIRECT THE EXHAUST GASES THROUGH THE APERTURE IN SAID END PLATE NEARER THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND AXIALLY INTO SAID INNER TUBULAR MEMBER IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE END PLATE NEARER THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD; AND MEANS OPERABLE TO FORCE AIR UNDER PRESSURE INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID END PLATE NEARER THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND SAID PERFORATED PLATE, THROUGH SAID PERFORATED PLATE AND BETWEEN SAID PIECES OF HEAT-INSULATING MATERIAL; WHEREBY TO ALLOW EXPANSION OF A PORTION OF THE EXHAUST GASES ADJACENT SAID PERFORATED PLATE INTO THE ANNULAR SPACE CONTAINING THE PIECES OF HEAT-INSULATING MATERIAL.