Converter-muffler

Claim 1

A CATALYTIC CONVERTER-MUFFLER APPARATUS FOR TREATING AN ENGINE EXHAUST GAS STREAM COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, AN ELONGATED OUTER HOUSING HAVING AN EXHAUST GAS PORT AT EACH END THEREOF, AN INNER TAPERING PERFORATE TUBULAR GAS CONDUCTING MEMBER EXTENDING FROM A GAS PORT AT ONE END OF SAID HOUSING AXIALLY THROUGH A MAJOR PORTION OF THE LENGTH OF SAID HOUSING, SAID TUBULAR MEMBER TAPERING AND REDUCING IN CROSS SECTION FROM THE END OF SAID HOUSING TO A SMALLER END HAVING A TRANSVERSE PERFORATE END SECTION, AN OUTER TAPERING PERFORATE PARTICLE RETAINING MEMBER POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY SYMMETRICALLY AROUND AND SPACED FROM SAID INNER PERFORATE MEMBER, SAID OUTER MEMBER EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM SAID END OF SAID HOUSING FOR A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE LONGITUDINAL EXTENT OF SAID INNER MEMBER AND HAVING AN OUTER PERFORATE END SECTION SPACED FROM SAID PERFORATE END SECTION OF SAID INNER MEMBER, SUBDIVIDED PARTICLES RETAINED IN SAID OUTER TAPERING MEMBER UNIFORMLY AROUND SAID INNER MEMBER AND WITHIN THE SPACED DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID PERFORATE END SECTIONS OF SAID PERFORATE MEMBERS, SAID OUTER TAPERING PERFORATE MEMBER PROVIDING WITH THE INSIDE OF SAID OUTER HOUSING A VARIABLE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA ANNULAR-FORM GAS MANIFOLD SECTION LONGITUDINALLY INSIDE OF SAID OUTER HOUSING WHEREBY AN EXHAUST GAS STREAM MAY PASS RADIALLY THROUGH SAID PARTICLES BETWEEN SAID PERFORATE TUBULAR MEMBERS AS WELL AS IN PART LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH THE PARTICLES BETWEEN SAID PERFORATE END SECTIONS THEREOF AS SUCH STREAM PASSES FROM ONE END OF SAID APPARATUS TO THE OTHER END THEREOF.