Peripheral-feed clarification tank

Claim 1

IN A TANK FOR THE SEPARATION OF FLOATABLE AND SETTLEABLE MATERIAL INCLUDING MEANS FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF CLARIFIED LIQUID FROM THE TANK AND MAINTAINING A GIVEN LIQUID LEVEL WITHIN THE TANK AND OTHER MEANS FOR WITHDRAWAL OF THE SETTLED MATERIAL THEREFROM, SAID TANK HAVING AN OUTER WALL AND AN OPEN FEED CHANNEL EXTENDING AROUNG THE PERIPHERY OF THE TANK, SAID CHANNEL EXTENDING AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE TANK, SAID CHANNEL HAVNG AN INLET END AND A SCUM OUTLET AT THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF AND INCLUDING A FLOOR SLOPING UPWARDLY FROM THE INLET END, A SKIRT EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID CHANNEL AND BAFFLES EXTENDING FROM THE TANK WALL TO SAID SKIRT DEFINING DISTRIBUTION ZONES EXTENDING IN A SERIES AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE TANK AND OPENING AT THEIR LOWER ENDS INTO THE LOWER PART OF THE TANK, SAID FLOOR OF THE CHANNEL HAVING A SERIES OF PORTS WITH EACH PORT OPENING INTO THE UPPER END OF A CORRESPONDING ZONE FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FEED INTO THE ZONE IN THE FORM OF A JET, MEANS BENEATH SAID CHANNEL AT THE HIGHER END OF THE FLOOR THEREOF FOR THE CONTINOUS COLLECTION OF FLOATABLE MATERIAL SEPARATED FROM THE JETS IN SAID ZONES AND MOVING UPWARDLY ALONG THE UNDER SIDE OF SAID FLOOR TO SAID MEANS, SAID BAFFLES BEING SPACED FROM SAID CHANNEL FLOOR FOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ZONES AT THE UPPER ENDS THEREOF FOR MOVEMENT OF THE FLOATABLE MATERIAL TO SAID CONTINUOUS COLLECTION MEANS, AND SAID TANK HAVNG AN OUTLET FROM SAID COLLECTION MEANS AND MEANS NORMALLY CLOSING SAID OUTLET EXCEPT FOR THE PERIODIC DISCHARGE OF THE COLLECTED MATERIAL.