Comminuting and dispersing process and apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR FINELY COMMUNUTING SOLID MATERIAL AND FOR DISPERSING AGGLOMERATES OF FINELY COMMINUTED MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER BEING BOUNDED LATERALLY FROM TOP TO BOTTOM BY A CURVED SURFACE; (B) SAID CHAMBER BEING AT LEAST PARTIALLY FILLED WITH A PLURALITY OF ATTRITIVE ELEMENTS; (C) SAID CHAMBER HAVING DISPOSED THEREIN AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL ELONGATED IMPELLER MEANS FOR IMPARTING A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF SAID ATTRITIVE ELEMENTS IN AN ARCUATE PATH AND RADIALLY INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY WITH REFERENCE TO THE CURVED SURFACES OF SAID CHAMBER THROUGHOUT THE VERTICAL EXTEND OF SAID IMPELLER MEANS, SAID IMPELLER MEANS BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXIS WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, SAID IMPELLER MEANS HAVING A VERTICAL SURFACE WHICH HAS PORTIONS SPACED AT DIFFERENT DISTANCES FORM SAID AXIS THAN OTHE RPORTIONS OF SAID SURFACE, SAID IMPELLER MEANS HAVING A PORTION CLOSEST TO SAID CURVED SURFACE OF SAID CHAMBER EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT DISTANCE FROM SAID CURVED SURFACE THROUGHOUT THE VERTIALF EXTENT OF SAID IMPELLER MEANS, MEANS FOR RATATING SAID IMPELLER MEANS ABOUT SAID AXIS TO CAUSE THE PORTIONS OF SAID IMPELLER SURFACE CLOSEST TO SAID CURVED SURFACE TO MOVE IN AN ARCUATE PATH PARALLEL TO SAID CURVED SURFACE, THE MINIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID IMPELLER MEANS AND SAID CURVED SURFACE AT ANY TIME BEING AT LEAST THREE TIMES THE DIAMETRIC MEASUREMENT OF THE LARGEST OF SAID ATTRITIVE ELEMENTS.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR FINELY COMMUNUTING SOLID MATERIAL AND FOR DISPERSING AGGLOMERATES OF FINELY COMMINUTED MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER BEING BOUNDED LATERALLY FROM TOP TO BOTTOM BY A CURVED SURFACE; (B) SAID CHAMBER BEING AT LEAST PARTIALLY FILLED WITH A PLURALITY OF ATTRITIVE ELEMENTS; (C) SAID CHAMBER HAVING DISPOSED THEREIN AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL ELONGATED IMPELLER MEANS FOR IMPARTING A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF SAID ATTRITIVE ELEMENTS IN AN ARCUATE PATH AND RADIALLY INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY WITH REFERENCE TO THE CURVED SURFACES OF SAID CHAMBER THROUGHOUT THE VERTICAL EXTEND OF SAID IMPELLER MEANS, SAID IMPELLER MEANS BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXIS WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, SAID IMPELLER MEANS HAVING A VERTICAL SURFACE WHICH HAS PORTIONS SPACED AT DIFFERENT DISTANCES FORM SAID AXIS THAN OTHE RPORTIONS OF SAID SURFACE, SAID IMPELLER MEANS HAVING A PORTION CLOSEST TO SAID CURVED SURFACE OF SAID CHAMBER EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT DISTANCE FROM SAID CURVED SURFACE THROUGHOUT THE VERTIALF EXTENT OF SAID IMPELLER MEANS, MEANS FOR RATATING SAID IMPELLER MEANS ABOUT SAID AXIS TO CAUSE THE PORTIONS OF SAID IMPELLER SURFACE CLOSEST TO SAID CURVED SURFACE TO MOVE IN AN ARCUATE PATH PARALLEL TO SAID CURVED SURFACE, THE MINIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID IMPELLER MEANS AND SAID CURVED SURFACE AT ANY TIME BEING AT LEAST THREE TIMES THE DIAMETRIC MEASUREMENT OF THE LARGEST OF SAID ATTRITIVE ELEMENTS.

Claim 3

A METHOD FOR UNIFORMLY COMMINUTING A SOLID MATERIAL AND FOR DISPERSING AGGLOMETRATES OF FINELY COMMINUTED MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING SAID MATERIAL INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL ELONGATED ZONE WHICH IS AT LEAST PARTIALLY FILLED WITH A PLURALITY OF ATTRITIVE ELEMENTS, SAID ZONE BEING BOUNDED LATERALLY FORM TOP TO BOTTOM BY A CURVED SURFACE, ROTATING AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL ELONGATED IMPELLER MEANS ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXIS WITHIN SAID ZONE, SAID IMPELLER MEANS HAVING A VERTICAL SURFACE WHICH HAS PORTIONS SPACED AT DIFFERENT DISTANCES FORM SAID AXIS THAN OTHER PORTIONS OF SAID SURFACE, SAID IMPELLER MEANS HAVING A PORTION CLOSEST TO SAID CURVED SURFACE OF SAID ZONE EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT DISTANCE FROM SAID CURVED SURFACE THROUGHOUT THE VERTICAL EXTEND OF SAID IMPELLER MEANS, THE MINIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID IMPELLER MEANS AND SAID CURVED SURFACE AT ANY TIME BEING AT LEAST THREE TIMES THE DIAMETRIC MEASUREMENT OF THE LARGEST OF SAID ATTIRTIVE ELEMENTS, SAID ROTATION CAUSING THE PORTIONS OF SAID IMPELLER SURFACE CLOSEST TO SAID CURVED SURFACE TO MOVE IN A ARCUATE PATH PARALLEL TO SAID CURVED SURFACE THEREBY IMPARTING A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF SAID ATTRITIVE ELEMENTS IN AN ARCUATE PATH AND RADIALLY INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY WITH REFERENCE TO THE CURVED SURFACES OF SAID ZONE THROUGHOUT THE VERTICAL EXTENT OF SAID IMPELLER MEANS.

Claim 4

A METHOD FOR UNIFORMLY COMMINUTING A SOLID MATERIAL AND FOR DISPERSING AGGLOMETRATES OF FINELY COMMINUTED MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING SAID MATERIAL INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL ELONGATED ZONE WHICH IS AT LEAST PARTIALLY FILLED WITH A PLURALITY OF ATTRITIVE ELEMENTS, SAID ZONE BEING BOUNDED LATERALLY FORM TOP TO BOTTOM BY A CURVED SURFACE, ROTATING AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL ELONGATED IMPELLER MEANS ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXIS WITHIN SAID ZONE, SAID IMPELLER MEANS HAVING A VERTICAL SURFACE WHICH HAS PORTIONS SPACED AT DIFFERENT DISTANCES FORM SAID AXIS THAN OTHER PORTIONS OF SAID SURFACE, SAID IMPELLER MEANS HAVING A PORTION CLOSEST TO SAID CURVED SURFACE OF SAID ZONE EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT DISTANCE FROM SAID CURVED SURFACE THROUGHOUT THE VERTICAL EXTEND OF SAID IMPELLER MEANS, THE MINIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID IMPELLER MEANS AND SAID CURVED SURFACE AT ANY TIME BEING AT LEAST THREE TIMES THE DIAMETRIC MEASUREMENT OF THE LARGEST OF SAID ATTIRTIVE ELEMENTS, SAID ROTATION CAUSING THE PORTIONS OF SAID IMPELLER SURFACE CLOSEST TO SAID CURVED SURFACE TO MOVE IN A ARCUATE PATH PARALLEL TO SAID CURVED SURFACE THEREBY IMPARTING A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF SAID ATTRITIVE ELEMENTS IN AN ARCUATE PATH AND RADIALLY INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY WITH REFERENCE TO THE CURVED SURFACES OF SAID ZONE THROUGHOUT THE VERTICAL EXTENT OF SAID IMPELLER MEANS.