Sand screen equipment

Claim 1

EQUIPMENT FOR SCREENING GRANULAR MATERIAL WHILE ENABLING SUCH MATERIAL TO BE MAINTAINED SUBSTANTIALLY IN SITU, SAID EQUIPMENT COMPRISING, A SCREENING ASSEMBLY HAVING LATERALLY SPACED APART UPSTANDING SIDE MEMBERS SECURED TO BOTTOM AND REAR MEMBERS TO DEFINE A RECEPTACLE HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY OPEN AND UNOBSTRUCTED FORWARD AND TOP PORTIONS, SAID MEMBERS EACH BEING OF SCREEN MESH CONSRUCTION, AN ELEMENT EXTENDING BETWEEN THE UPSTANDING SIDE MEMBERS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BOTTOM MEMBER OF THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY AND IN SUBJACENT RELATIONSHIP RELATIVE TO THE OPEN FORWARD PORTION THEREOF, SAID ELEMENT BEING TAPERED TOWARD THE OPEN FORWARD PORTION OF THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY TO ENABLE GRANULAR MATERIAL TO PASS INTO THE CONFINES OF THE RECEPTACLE DEFINED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY, REINFORCING STRUCTURE DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE THE OPEN FORWARD PORTION AND THE REAR MEMBER OF THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY AND DISPOSED THEREON ADJACENT THE UPSTANDING SIDES THEREOF, PIVOT MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY CONNECTING MECHANISM TO THE REINFORCING STRUCTURE AT LOCATIONS THEREON WHICH ARE ADJACENT TO THE OPPOSED UPSTANDING SIDE MEMBERS OF THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY TO ENABLE THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY TO BE URGED FROM A LOWERED OPERATIVE POSITION WHEREAT THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY IS IN CONTACT WITH GRANULAR MATERIAL IN SITU TO A RAISED DUMPING POSITION WHEREAT THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY MAY DISPOSE OF UNDESIRED DEPOSITS WHICH HAVE BEEN SCREENED FROM SUCH GRANULAR MATERIAL, AN ELONGATE RIGID MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ADJACENT ONE END PORTION TO A MOBILE FRAME STRUCTURE AND PROJECTING THEREFROM AND TERMINATING WITH THE OTHER END PORTION PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO THE REINFORCING STRUCTURE OF THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY, A HYDRAULIC ARRANGEMENT HAVING PISTON-CYLINDER PORTIONS ONE OF WHICH IS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE MOBILE FRAME STRUCTURE WITH THE OTHER PORTION BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE REINFORCING STRUCTURE OF THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY, THE ADJACENT PIVOTAL CONNECTIONS OF THE MEMBER AND THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE MECHANISM TO THE MOBILE FRAME STRUCTURE AS WELL AS THE LOCATIONS ON THE PIVOT MEANS OF THE REINFORCING STRUCTURE OF THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY, IN EACH INSTANCE, BEING SPACED APART ONE FROM THE OTHER TO ENABLE THE OPEN FORWARD PORTION OF THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY TO BE RAISED ON INITIAL ACTUATION OF THE HYDRAULIC ARRANGEMENT PRIOR TO MOVEMENT OF THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY FROM THE LOWERED OPERATING POSITION TO THE RAISED DUMPING POSITION IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN SUCH UNDESIRED DEPOSITS WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN SCREENED FROM SUCH GRANULAR MATERIAL WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE RECEPTACLE DEFINED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE SCREENING ASSEMBLY.