Apparatus for separating materials

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR SEPARATING SMALL PARTICLES OF TWO MATERIALS, THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF ONE OF WHICH IS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THAT OF THE OTHER, SAID SEPARATOR COMPRISING A TROUGH POSITIONED TO RECEIVE MATERIAL, MEANS FOR DISCHARGING LIQUID INTO THE TROUGH FOR THE FLOTATION AND SEPARATION OF SUCH MATERIAL INTO DISCRETE FRAGMENTS, SAID TROUGH BEING POSITIONED TO OVERFLOW FROM ITS OTHER SIDE, A TANK MOUNTED WITH ITS INLET END CONTIGUOUS WITH THE OVERFLOW SIDE OF SAID TROUGH, ONE OR MORE PAIRS OF OPPOSED SPACED J-SHAPED CHANNELS MOUNTED IN THE UPPER PART OF SAID TANK AND WITH LOWER PORTIONS THEREOF BELOW THE LIQUID LEVEL AND EXTENDING AXIALLY OF THE TANK AND TRANSVERSELY OF THE INLET TROUGH, SAID CHANNELS HAVING CONTIGUOUS EDGES SPACED SUFFCIENTLY TO PERMIT MATERIAL PASSING OVER THE EDGE OF ONE CHANNEL TO SINK WITHOUT ENGAGING THE EDGE OF THE OPPOSITE CHANNEL, SAID CHANNELS BEING SPACED SUFFICIENTLY CLOSELY THAT LIQUID CURRENT FROM THE ADJACENT CHANNELS SUBSTANTIALLY INTERSECTS NEAR THE SURFACE, AND MEANS FOR IMPARTING ROTARY MOTION TO MATERIAL WITHIN SAID CHANNELS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING MEANS FOR DELIVERING LIQUID ALONG THE INSIDES OF SAID CHANNELS REMOTE FROM THEIR SPACED EDGES, WHEREBY RELATIVELY LIGHT MEAT FRAGEMTNS WILL BE CARRIED IN SAID CHANNELS FROM THE INLET TO THE OUTLET OF THE TANK AND WHEREBY RELATIVELY HEAVY BONE FRAGMENTS WILL BE CIRCULATED OUT OF SAID CHANNELS AND SINK IN THE SPACE THEREBETWEEN TO THE LOWER PART OF THE TANK.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR SEPARATING SMALL PARTICLES OF TWO MATERIALS, THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF ONE OF WHICH IS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THAT OF THE OTHER, SAID SEPARATOR COMPRISING A TROUGH POSITIONED TO RECEIVE MATERIAL, MEANS FOR DISCHARGING LIQUID INTO THE TROUGH FOR THE FLOTATION AND SEPARATION OF SUCH MATERIAL INTO DISCRETE FRAGMENTS, SAID TROUGH BEING POSITIONED TO OVERFLOW FROM ITS OTHER SIDE, A TANK MOUNTED WITH ITS INLET END CONTIGUOUS WITH THE OVERFLOW SIDE OF SAID TROUGH, ONE OR MORE PAIRS OF OPPOSED SPACED J-SHAPED CHANNELS MOUNTED IN THE UPPER PART OF SAID TANK AND WITH LOWER PORTIONS THEREOF BELOW THE LIQUID LEVEL AND EXTENDING AXIALLY OF THE TANK AND TRANSVERSELY OF THE INLET TROUGH, SAID CHANNELS HAVING CONTIGUOUS EDGES SPACED SUFFCIENTLY TO PERMIT MATERIAL PASSING OVER THE EDGE OF ONE CHANNEL TO SINK WITHOUT ENGAGING THE EDGE OF THE OPPOSITE CHANNEL, SAID CHANNELS BEING SPACED SUFFICIENTLY CLOSELY THAT LIQUID CURRENT FROM THE ADJACENT CHANNELS SUBSTANTIALLY INTERSECTS NEAR THE SURFACE, AND MEANS FOR IMPARTING ROTARY MOTION TO MATERIAL WITHIN SAID CHANNELS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING MEANS FOR DELIVERING LIQUID ALONG THE INSIDES OF SAID CHANNELS REMOTE FROM THEIR SPACED EDGES, WHEREBY RELATIVELY LIGHT MEAT FRAGEMTNS WILL BE CARRIED IN SAID CHANNELS FROM THE INLET TO THE OUTLET OF THE TANK AND WHEREBY RELATIVELY HEAVY BONE FRAGMENTS WILL BE CIRCULATED OUT OF SAID CHANNELS AND SINK IN THE SPACE THEREBETWEEN TO THE LOWER PART OF THE TANK.