Automatic dry cleaning machine

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC DRY-CLEANING MACHINE FOR GARMENTS COMPRISING: A SUPPLY TANK FOR SOLVENT, SAID TANK ALSO SERVING AS A BASE FOR SAID MACHINE; A TUB MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPLY TANK AND HAVING THEREIN A ROTATABLE PERFORATED WORK BASKET ADAPTED TO HOLD A BATCH OF SOILED GARMENTS TO BE CLEANED; A MAIN FILTER MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPLY TANK, SAID FILTER HAVING TUBULAR SEPTUM ELEMENTS; AN AUTOMATIC FILTER POWDER DISPENSER MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPLY TANK AND HAVING A SUPPLY HOPPER AND A MOTOR-DRIVEN ROTABLE FEED MECHANISM ADAPTED TO DISPENSE A CONTROLLED AMOUNT OF FILTER POWDER FROM SAID HOPPER INTO SAID SUPPLY TANK FOR EACH ROTATION OF SAID MECHANISM, SAID AUTOMATIC FILTER POWDER DISPENSER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL VERTICALLY-DISPOSED WALLED HOUSING HAVING AN UPPER SECTION AND A LOWER SECTION SEPARATED BY A SLOTTED PLATE FORMING THE FLOOR OF THE UPPER SECTION FOR SUPPORTING A SUPPLY OF DIATOMACEOUS EARTH FILTER POWDER THE PARTICLES OF WHICH TEND TO CLING TOGETHER TO FORM A COHESIVE COLUMNAR MASS, A ROTATABLE SHAFT EXTENDING AXIALLY THROUGH SAID UPPER SECTION AND ATTACHED AT ITS LOWER END TO SAID SLOTTED PLATE, A PAIR OF OPPOSED UPWARDLY-EXTENDING WIPER ARMS SECURED TO SAID SLOTTED PLATE AND ADAPTED TO SWEEP ALONG THE LOWER WALL OF SAID UPPER SECTION WHEN SAID SHAFT IS ROTATED FOR CUTTING THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID COLUMNAR MASS FREE OF SAID LOWER WALL, AND AT LEAST ONE ARM MOUNTED TO EXTEND INTO SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID COLUMNAR MASS FOR BREAKING UP SAID MASS AND CAUSING PARTICLES THEREOF TO DROP THROUGH THE RADIAL SLOTS OF SAID FLOOR PLATE AND INTO THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID HOUSING; FILTER POWDER FEED IMPULSE TIMER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FILTER POWDER DISPENSER MOTOR FOR DRIVING SAID MOTOR INTERMITTENTLY DURING WASHCYCLE PERIODS; A SECONDARY FILTER COMPRISING A VERTICALLYDISPOSED CONTAINER HAVING THEREIN A ROTATABLE PERFORATED BASKET AND A FILTER BAG, SAID SECONDARY FILTER BEING ADAPTED TO FUNCTION AS A STATIONARY SUB-FILTER AND MUCK STORAGE CONTAINER AND ALSO AS A CENTRIFUGE EXTRACTOR, SAID SECONDARY FILTER BEING MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPLY TANK; A MOTOR CONNECTED TO SAID SECONDARY FILTER FOR DRIVING SAID FILTER ROTATIONALLY DURING CENTRIFUGE PERIODS;CONDUIT MEANS COUPLING EACH OF SAID TUB, MAIN FILTER, AND SECONDARY FILTER TO SAID SUPPLY TANK AND INTERCOUPLING SAID TUB TO SAID MAIN FILTER AND SAID MAIN FILTER TO SAID SECONDARY FILTER, SAID CONDUIT MEANS FROM SAID MAIN FILTER TO SAID SECONDARY FILTER ENTERING SAID BASKET AND FILTER BAG UPWARDLY THROUGH THE BOTTOMS THEREOF AND TERMINATING INSIDE SAID BAG IN A PERFORATED PIPING; PUMP MEANS FOR FORCING SOLVENT THROUGH SAID CONDUIT MEANS AND THROUGH SAID MACHINE; A PLURALITY OF VALVES IN SAID CONDUIT MEANS, INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE VALVE IN THE CONDUIT COUPLING SAID SUPPLY TANK TO SAID TUB, AT LEAST ONE VALVE IN THE CONDUIT COUPLING SAID SUPPLY TANK TO SAID MAIN FILTER, AT LEAST ONE VALVE IN THE CONDUIT COUPLING SAID SUPPLY TANK TO SAID SECONDARY FILTER, AT LEAST ONE VALVE IN THE CONDUIT COUPLING SAID TUB TO SAID MAIN FILTER, AND AT LEAST ONE VALVE IN THE CONDUIT COUPLING SAID MAIN FILTER TO SAID SECONDARY FILTER; ELECTRICALLY-OPERABLE VALVE OPERATOR MEANS; MECHANICAL LINKAGES CONNECTING SAID VALVE OPERATOR MEANS TO SAID VALVE; WASH-CYCLE TIMER SWITCH MEANS COUPLED TO SAID VALVE OPERATOR MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID VALVE OPERATOR MEANS FOR PLACING SAID VALVES IN SUCH CONDITIONS DURING A PERIOD ASSIGNED TO THE WASH CYCLE THAT SAID PUMP FORCES SOLVENT IN A FIRST DIRECTION THROUGH SAID TUB, WORK BASKET, AND MAIN FILTER AND THEN BACK INTO SAID TUB, THE FILTER SEPTUM ELEMENTS OF SAID MAIN FILTER HAVING A TOTAL FILTER AREA OF SUCH SIZE AS TO ADAPT SAID ELEMENTS TO FILTER OUT SOIL FROM A SINGLE BATCH OF GARMENTS (BUT NOT FROM A PLURALITY OF BATCHES) WITHOUT APPRECIABLY REDUCING THE RATE OF FLOW OF SOLVENT THERETHROUGH; SAID FILTER POWDER FEED IMPULSE TIMER MEANS BEING ADAPTED DURING THE PERIOD OF THE WASH CYCLE TO ENERGIZE SAID FILTER POWDER DISPENSER MOTOR INTERMITTENTLY TO ROTATE THE FEED MECHANISM OF SAID DISPENSER INTERMITTENTLY TO ADD FILTER POWDER INTERMITTENTLY TO THE SOLVENT IN THE SUPPLY TANK; BACKWASH CYCLE TIMER SWITCH MEANS COUPLED TO SAID VALVE OPERATOR MEANS AND EFFECTIVE AT THE END OF EACH WASH-CYCLE PERIOD AND DURING EACH FOLLOWING PERIOD ASSIGNED TO A BACKWASH CYCLE FOR ACTUATING SAID VALVE OPERATORS FOR CHANGING SAID VALVES TO PLACE SAID VALVES IN SUCH CONDITIONS THAT SAID PUMP DURING EACH BACKWASH-CYCLE PERIOD PUMPS SOLVENT IN A REVERSE DIRECTION THROUGH SAID MAIN FILTER TO BACKWASH SAID MAIN FILTER AND TO PUMP THE MIXTURE OF SOLVENT AND SOILED FILTER POWDER INTO SAID SECONDARY FILTER, A CONSIDERABLE PORTION OF SAID SOLVENT RETURNING FROM SAID SECONDARY FILTER WHEN STATIONARY THROUGH SAID CONDUIT MEANS TO SAID SUPPLY TANK; PRE-COAT-CYCLE TIMER MEANS COUPLED TO SAID PUMP MEANS AND TO SAID MOTOR-DRIVEN ROTATABLE FILTER POWDER FEED MECHANISM AND EFFECTIVE AT THE END OF EACH BACKWASHCYCLE PERIOD AND DURING EACH FOLLOWING PERIOD ASSIGNED TO A PRE-COAT FEED PERIOD FOR SHUTTING OFF SAID PUMP AND ROTATING THE FEED MECHANISM OF SAID FILTER POWDER DISPENSER TO ADD A CONTROLLED QUANTITY OF FILTER POWEDER TOSAID SUPPLY TANK FOLLOWING EACH BACKWASH PERIOD ACCORDING TO THE DURATION OF SAID FEED PERIOD; SAID WASH-CYCLE TIMER SWITCH MEANS COUPLED TO SAID VALVE OPERATORS BEING EFFECTIVE AT THE END OF EACH PRE-COAT-CYCLE FEED PERIOD AND DURING EACH FOLLOWING PERIOD ASSIGNED TO A PRECOAT PUMP CYCLE FOR ACTUATING SAID VALVE OPERATORS FOR CHANGING SAID VALVES SO THAT SAID PUMP DURING SAID PRECOAT PUMP CYCLE PUMPS SOLVENT HAVING THE CONTROLLED QUANTITY OF ADDED FILTER POWDER THEREIN FROM SAID SUPPLY TANK THROUGH SAID MAIN FILTER IN SAID FIRST DIRECTION TO PRECOAT SAID FILTER SEPTUM ELEMENTS; SAID WASH-CYCLE TIMER SWITCH MEANS COUPLED TO SAID VALVE OPERATORS BEING EFFECTIVE AT THE END OF EACH PRE-COAT PUMP CYCLE FOR CHANGING SAID VALVES TO PLACE SAID VALVES IN CONDITIONS CORRESPONDING TO THE CYCLE, WASH THEREBY TO PLACE SAID MACHINE IN CONDITION TO REPEAT ITS CYCLIC SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS; MOTOR MEANS CONNECTED TO THE BASKET OF SAID SECONDARY FILTER; AND CONTROL MEANS FOR SAID MOTOR MEANS FOR ROTATING THE BASKET OF SAID SECONDARY FILTER AT SELECTED INTERMITTENT PERIODS TO RECOVER THE RESIDUAL SOLVENT FROM THE MIXTURE CONTAINED THEREIN AND TO RETURN SAID RECOVERED SOLVENT TO SAID SUPPLY TANK.