Automatic

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING AUTOMATICALLY DIATOMACEOUS EARTH FILTER POWDER INTO A CLEANING SOLUTION CONTAINED IN A SUPPLY TANK, SAID CLEANING SOLUTION EMPLOYING AS A BASIS A NON-AQUEOUS SYNTHETIC SOLVENT, SAID DISPENSING APPARATUS COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL VERTICALLYDISPOSED WALLED HOUSING MOUNTED ON SAID TANK, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING AN UPPER SECTION AND A LOWER SECTION, SAID LOWER SECTION EXTENDING DOWNWARD INTO SAID TANK, SAID UPPER SECTION HAVING AN ACCESS OPENING FOR RECEIVING A SUPPLY OF DIATOMACEOUS EARTH FILTER POWDER THE PARTICLES OF WHICH TEND TO CLING TOGETHER TO FORM A COHESIVE MASS IN SAID HOUSING; A SHAFT EXTENDING AXIALLY THROUGH SAID UPPER SECTION AND ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN ROTATIONALLY; AN AGITATOR PLATE SECURED TO THE LOWER END OF SAID SHAFT AND ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN ROTATIONALLY WHEN SAID SHAFT IS ROTATED, SAID AGITATOR PLATE FORMING THE FLOOR OF SAID UPPER SECTION OF SAID HOUSING AND SUPPORTING SAID DIATOMACEOUS EARTH FILTER POWDER, SAID AGITATOR PLATE HAVING THEREIN RADIALLY-DISPOSED SLOTS FORMING SECTORS THE CORRESPONDING EDGES OF WHICH ARE RAISED UPWARDS TO FORMA A CUTTING OR AGITATING BLADE; A PAIR OF OPPOSED UPWARDLY-EXTENDING WIPER ARMS SECURED TO SAID AGITATOR PLATE AND ADAPTED TO SWEEP ALONG THE WALL OF A LOWER PORTION OF SAID UPPER SECTION WHEN SAID SHAFT IS ROTATED; A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF OPPOSED BREAK-UP ARMS OF SUBSTANTIAL VERTICAL THICKNESS FIXED TO AND EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM SAID SHAFT AT A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT ANGULAR ORIENTATIONS AT SPACED-APART LOCATIONS ABOVE SAID AGITATOR PLATE AND ADAPTED TO MOVE ROTATIONALLY THROUGH SAID FILTER POWDER ON A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF HORIZONTAL PLANES WHEN SAID SHAFT IS ROTATED, THE ROTATION OF SAID AGITATOR PLATE, WIPER ARMS AND SPACED RADIAL BREAK-UP ARMS CAUSING SAID MASS OF DIATMACEOUS EARTH FILTER POWDER TO BREAK UP AND THE PARTICLES THEREOF TO DROP THROUGH THE RADIAL SLOTS OF SAID AGITATOR PLATE AND INTO SAID LOWER SECTION OF SAID HOUSING, AND A COOLING COIL SURROUNDING THE UPPER PORTION OF THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID HOUSING FOR CONDENSING ON THE WALL OF SAID LOWER SECTION ANY VAPORS WHICH MAY ARISE FROM THE SOLVENT IN SAID TANK.