Alternating comminutor

Claim 1

A VERTICAL COMMINUTING DEVICE FOR COMMINUTING SEWAGE SOLIDS IN A SEWAGE STREAM COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET, A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL SCREEN HAVING A VERTICAL LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND VERTICALLY SPACED HORIZONTAL SLOTS LEADING TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID SCREEN, SAID SCREEN BEING ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND SUBSTANTIALLY FILLING THE CROSS SECTION OF THE OUTLET OF SAID HOUSING, A MOTOR FOR ROTATING SAID CYLINDRICAL SCREEN IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, MEANS FOR REVERSING THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SCREEN ALTERNATELY THROUGH AT LEAST ONE COMPLETE REVOLUTION IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, A SINGLE FLAT COMB FIXEDLY AND VERTICALLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING HAVING A FORWARD SURFACE ADJACENT SAID CYLINDRICAL SCREEN AND HAVING A REARWARD SURFACE, SAID COMB LYING ALONG A PLANE IN WHICH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SCREEN LIES, WHICH PLANE ALSO INTERSECTS THE REARWARD AND FORWARD SURFACES OF SAID COMB, SAID COMB HAVING NOTCHES OF UNIFORM CROSS SECTION IN THE FORWARD SURFACE THROUGHOUT ITS DEPTH, SAID NOTCHES HAVING OPPOSITELY DISPOSED CUTTING EDGES, A PLURALITY OF CUTTING TEETH CONNECTED TO SAID SCREEN AND ALIGNED WITH SAID NOTCHES IN SAID COMB, SAID TEETH HAVING TWO OPPOSITELY DISPOSED CUTTING EDGES, THE EDGES OF SAID NOTCHES AND THE EDGES OF SAID TEETH COOPERATING TO COMMINUTE SEWAGE SOLIDS WHEN SAID SCREEN IS ROTATED IN EITHER DIRECTION, WHEREBY AS THE CYLINDRICAL SCREEN ROTATES IN EITHER DIRECTION SEWAGE SOLIDS ARE COMMINUTED AND REDUCED TO A SIZE SMALL ENOUGH TO PASS THROUGH THE SLOTS IN SAID CYLINDRICAL SCREEN INTO THE INTERIOR OF SAID SCREEN, THENCE OUT THE OUTLET OF SAID HOUSING.