Apparatus for handling fiber in suspension

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR FORMING A FIBROUS MAT ON A PREDETERMINED SURFACE COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING AN OUTER WALL CIRCUMSCRIBING A DISCHARGE OPENING; MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID HOUSING FOR FORCING AIR AT HIGH VELOCITY TOWARD SAID DISCHARGE OPENING; MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR DISCHARGING A SLURRY OF LIQUID AND FIBERS TOWARD AND SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY OF SAID OPENING, SOME OF SAID FIBERS ENTANGLING IN SMALL MASSES IN SAID SLURRY; AN ANNULAR FRUSTRO-CONICAL DEFLECTOR HAVING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE SURFACES; MEANS MOUNTING SAID DEFLECTOR SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC WITH SAID HOUSING, ADJACENT TO SAID DISCHARGE OPENING IN THE PATH OF SAID AIR, AND SO THAT SAID DEFLECTOR CONVERGES IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE AIR WITH ITS INSIDE SURFACE DIRECTED INWARDLY; AND MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING CONCENTRIC WITH SAID DEFLECTOR FOR GUIDING SAID SLURRY IN A GENERALLY CONICAL PATTERN DIVERGING OUTWARDLY WITHIN SAID OPENING, TRANSVERSELY OF SAID AIR STREAM AND FOR CAUSING SAID SLURRY TO STRIKE WITH FORCE AGAINST THE INSIDE SURFACE OF SAID DEFLECTOR WHEREBY SAID ENTANGLED MASSES OF FIBERS ARE BROKEN APART UPON IMPACT WITH THE DEFLECTOR AND THE SEPARATED FIBERS ARE DEFLECTED BACK INTO SAID AIR STREAM SO THAT WHEN SAID HOUSING IS DIRECTED TOWARD SAID PREDETERMINED SURFACE, SAID FIBERS ARE CARRIED IN RANDOM DISPERSION IN SAID AIR STREAM OVER SAID PREDETERMINED SURFACE AND ARE ALLOWED TO GRAVITATE THEREFROM ONTO SAID PREDETERMINED SURFACE IN SEPARATED RANDOM ORIENTATION.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR FORMING A FIBROUS MAT ON A PREDETERMINED SURFACE COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING AN OUTER WALL CIRCUMSCRIBING A DISCHARGE OPENING; MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID HOUSING FOR FORCING AIR AT HIGH VELOCITY TOWARD SAID DISCHARGE OPENING; MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR DISCHARGING A SLURRY OF LIQUID AND FIBERS TOWARD AND SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY OF SAID OPENING, SOME OF SAID FIBERS ENTANGLING IN SMALL MASSES IN SAID SLURRY; AN ANNULAR FRUSTRO-CONICAL DEFLECTOR HAVING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE SURFACES; MEANS MOUNTING SAID DEFLECTOR SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC WITH SAID HOUSING, ADJACENT TO SAID DISCHARGE OPENING IN THE PATH OF SAID AIR, AND SO THAT SAID DEFLECTOR CONVERGES IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE AIR WITH ITS INSIDE SURFACE DIRECTED INWARDLY; AND MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING CONCENTRIC WITH SAID DEFLECTOR FOR GUIDING SAID SLURRY IN A GENERALLY CONICAL PATTERN DIVERGING OUTWARDLY WITHIN SAID OPENING, TRANSVERSELY OF SAID AIR STREAM AND FOR CAUSING SAID SLURRY TO STRIKE WITH FORCE AGAINST THE INSIDE SURFACE OF SAID DEFLECTOR WHEREBY SAID ENTANGLED MASSES OF FIBERS ARE BROKEN APART UPON IMPACT WITH THE DEFLECTOR AND THE SEPARATED FIBERS ARE DEFLECTED BACK INTO SAID AIR STREAM SO THAT WHEN SAID HOUSING IS DIRECTED TOWARD SAID PREDETERMINED SURFACE, SAID FIBERS ARE CARRIED IN RANDOM DISPERSION IN SAID AIR STREAM OVER SAID PREDETERMINED SURFACE AND ARE ALLOWED TO GRAVITATE THEREFROM ONTO SAID PREDETERMINED SURFACE IN SEPARATED RANDOM ORIENTATION.