Endless belt filter

Claim 1

A FILTER MACHINE COMPRISING A FRAME, A PAIR OF END DRUMS MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME, ONE OF SAID DRUMS DEFINING THE FEED END OF SAID MACHINE AND THE OTHER OF SAID DRUMS DEFINING THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID MACHINE, AN ENDLESS BELT MOUNTED ON SAID DRUMS AND HAVING AN UPPER HORIZONTAL PATH OF TRAVEL BETWEEN SAID DRUMS, SAID BELT BEING OF ONE-PIECE FORM AND HAVING A TOP SURFACE, A BOTTOM SURFACE, A MULTIPLICITY OF TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING GROOVES IN SAID TOP SURFACE, SAID GROOVES BEING IN UNIFORMLY SPACED ORDER THROUGHOUT THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID BELT AND EACH SAID GROOVE EXTENDING THROUGHOUT THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE WIDTH OF SAID BELT BUT TERMINATING IN INWARDLY OF EACH EDGE OF SAID BELT, RIBS DEFINING SAID GROOVES AND EACH HAVIN CONVERGING SIDE WALLS TERMINATING IN AN APEX, SAID TOP SURFACE HAVING CONTINUOUS, FLAT, UNINTERRUPTED EDGE PORTIONS SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR WITH SAID APEXES, EACH SAID GROOVE HAVING A BOTTOM WALL AND AN APERTURE THEREIN DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY MIDWAY BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF, A CONTINUOUS SECTION OF LESS WIDTH THAN THE OVERALL WIDTH OF SAID BELT ON SAID BOTTOM SURFACE, AND A PLURALITY OF FILTRATE-COLLECTING CHAMBERS EACH COMMUNICATING WITH A PLURALITY OF SAID APERTURES, SAID SECTION CONSTITUTING THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID CHAMBERS, WALLS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULARLY FROM SAID SECTION AND SEPARATING SAID CHAMBERS FROM EACH OTHER, SAID CHAMBERS BEING ARRANGED IN UNIFORMLY SPACED ORDER ABOUT THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID BELT AND HAVING A CUMULATIVE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EXTENT AT LEAST 90% THAT OF SAID BELT, SAID SECTION BEING ARRANGED SUBSTANTIALLY MIDWAY BETWEEN THE EDGES OF SAID BELT AND HAVING A SINGLE DISCHARGE OPENING LEADING FROM EACH OF SAID CHAMBERS TO THE EXTERNAL SURFACE THEREOF, EACH SAID DRUM HAVING AN ANNULAR RECESS RECEIVING SAID BELT SECTION, AN ENDLESS FILTER MEDIUM SEATED ON SAID RIB APEXES AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ENTIRE AREA OF SAID TOP SURFACE EDGE PORTIONS, A SUCTION BOX MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME AND HAVING A TOP SURFACE ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING SAID BELT DURING SAID UPPER PATH OF TRAVEL, SAID DISCHARGE OPENINGS BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID BOX DURING SAID UPPER PATH OF TRAVEL, AND A CAKE-FORMING BOX ADJUSTABLY SUSPENDED FROM SAID FRAME AND SURMOUNTING SAID BELT IN SAID UPPER HORIZONTAL PATH OF TRAVEL, SAID BOX HAVING A PAIR OF SIDE WALLS AND A REAR WALL JOINING SAID SIDE WALLS, EACH SAID SIDE WALL HAVING A FLEXIBLE SKIRT SURMOUNTING AND ALIGNED WITH ONE OF SAID TOP SURFACE EDGE PORTIONS, SAID SKIRT HAVING A FLEXED PORTION ENGAGING SAID FILTER MEDIUM TO PRESS SAID FILTER MEDIUM AGAINST SAID TOP SURFACE EDGE PORTION, AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF SAID BOX IN A PERPENDICULAR DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO SAID FILTER MEDIUM.