Furnace support structure

Claim 1

IN AN OPEN-MOUTH FURNACE VESSEL FOR REFINING METAL WHEN IT IS IN A VERTICAL UPRIGHT POSITION, WHEREIN THE VESSEL IS ROTATABLE ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS ON A PAIR OF STANDS, AND WHEREIN THE VESSEL IS SUBJECTED TO CHANGES IN DIMENSION DUE TO THE WEIGHT OF METAL THEREIN AND DUE TO HIGH TEMPERATURES TO WHICH IT IS SUBJECTED, A COMBINATION THAT IS DEFINED AS FOLLOWS WHEN THE VESSEL IS IN ITS VERTICAL UPRIGHT POSITON: AN OUTER WALL ABOUT THE VESSEL, AN ANNULAR SUPPORT RING IN A RADIALLY-OUTWARDLY SPACED AND SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID OUTER WALL OF THE VESSEL AND ABOUT THE HORIZONTAL AXIS THEREOF, A GROUP OF PERIPHERALLY SPACED-APART BRACKET MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID OUTER WALL OF THE VESSEL ON SAID SUPPORT RING, SAID SUPPORT RING HAVING OPPOSITELY-POSITIONED HORIZONTALLY-PROJECTING TRUNNIONS ROTATABLY-MOUNTED ON THE STANDS FOR TURNING THE VESSEL ABOUT ITS HORIZONTAL AXIS FROM ITS VERTICAL UPRIGHT POSITION TO DOWNWARDLY-TILTED AND INVERTED POSITION; EACH BRACKET MEANS OF SAID GROUP COMPRISING, AN UPPER BRACKET RIGIDLY-SECURED TO SAID OUTER WALL OF THE VESSEL AND PROJECTING RADIALLY-FORWARDLY THEREFROM INTO RADIAL-SLIDABLE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SUPPORT RING AND HAVING MEANS FOR CONTAINING RELATIVE PERIPHERAL MOVEMENT OF SAID UPPER BRACKET WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORT RING AND FOR MAINTAINING SAID UPPER BRACKET IN RADIALSLIDABLE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SUPPORT RING AGAINST RELATION LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID OUTER WALL OF THE VESSEL WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORT RING, A LOWER BRACKET RIGIDLY-SECURED TO SAID OUTER WALL OF THE VESSEL AND PROJECTING RADIALLY-FORWARDLY FROM SAID OUTER WALL OF THE VESSEL INTO A COOPERATING RADIAL-SLIDABLE AND NORMALLY DOWNWARDLY-SPACED CLEARANCE-DEFINING RELATION WITH SAID SUPPORT RING AND HAVING MEANS FOR CONTAINING RELATIVE PERIPHERAL MOVEMENT OF SAID LOWER BRACKET WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORT RING AND FOR PERMITTING RELATIVE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID OUTER WALL WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORT RING WHEREBY SAID LOWER BRACKET MAY MOVE INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SUPPORT RING, AND SAID LOWER BRACKET OF EACH OF SAID BRACKET MEANS BEING IN AN OPPOSEDALIGNED RELATION WITH SAID UPPER BRACKET OF THE SAME BRACKET MEANS LONGITUDINALLY OF THE OUTER WALL OF THE VESSEL.