Movable-wall coke oven

Claim 1

A COKE OVEN COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL COKING WALLS, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID WALLS IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, EACH ADJOINING PAIR OF SAID WALLS NORMALLY DEFINING BETWEEN THEM AN OVEN COMPARTMENT HAVING A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED DISCHARGE OPENING, A SERIES OF WATER TROUGHS MOUNTED BENEATH SAID RESPECTIVE OVEN COMPARTMENTS FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT PARALLEL TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID WALLS, EACH SAID TROUGH HAVING A MEDIAL FLOOR OPENING THERETHROUGH NORMALLY REGISTERING WITH THE DISCHARGE OPENING OF ITS RESPECTIVE OVEN COMPARTMENT, A FLOOR CARRIAGE HAVING PLURALITY OF OVEN FLOORS SUPPORTED THEREON, RELEASEABLE MEANS NORMALLY SUPPORTING THE CARRIAGE IN RAISED POSITION BENEATH SAID OVEN WITH ITS SEVERAL FLOORS PROJECTED THROUGH THE OPENINGS IN SAID WATER TROUGHS AND OPERATIVELY RECEIVED IN SAID DISCHARGE OPENINGS, EACH SAID FLOOR AND ITS ASSOCIATED TROUGH BEING PROVIDED BENEATH SAID TROUGH WITH SEALING MEANS EXTENDING MARGINALLY AROUND SAID OPENING IN THE TROUGH AND OPERATIVE IN THE RAISED POSITION OF THE CARRIAGE TO ESTABLISH A GAS-TIGHT SEAL BETWEEN EACH FLOOR AND ITS SAID TROUGH, MEANS SUPPORTING THE RESPECTIVE FLOORS FOR RELATIVE HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT ON SAID CARRIAGE, RELEASEABLE COUPLINGS OPERATIVE IN THE RAISED POSITION OF SAID CARRIAGE FOR CAUSING EACH SAID WATER TROUGH TO MOVE HORIZONTALLY WITH ITS ASSOICATED FLOOR, AND AN INVERTED U-SHAPED SEALING ELEMENT OPERATIVELY SUPPORTED BY AND NORMALLY COMPRESSED BETWEEN EACH SAID PAIR OF RELATIVELY ADJOINING WALLS, SAID SEALING ELEMENT INCLUDING VERTICAL LEGS EXTENDING DOWN THE SIDES OF SAID RESPECTIVE WALL AND INTO SAID WATER TROUGH AND A BRIDGING PORTION EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY BETWEEN SAID LEGS AT THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID WALLS, EACH SAID WALL HAVING A SEALING FLANGE ALONG ITS HORIZONTAL BOTTOM EDGE RECEIVED WITHIN SAID OPPOSITE LEGS, AND FORMING A WATER SEAL BETWEEN SAID OPPOSITE LEGS, MEANS MOUNTING SAID SEALING ELEMENTS FOR HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER AND TO SAID WALLS, AND MEANS OPERATIVE FOR HORIZINTALLY MOVING SAID SEALING ELEMENTS, WALLS AND FLOORS SIMULTANEOUSLY AND IN COORDINATED RELATION TO MAINTAIN THE SEALING ELEMENTS AND FLOORS CENTERED RELATIVE TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OVEN COMPARTMENTS.