Dry cleaning apparatus and method

Claim 1

A DRY CLEANING APPARATUS COMPRISING A CLEANING ASSEMBLY FOR RECEIVING ARTICLES TO BE TREATED WITH A DRY CLEANING SOLUTION, SAID ASSEMBLY HAVING INLET AND OUTLET MEANS THROUGH WHICH THE SOLUTION IS FLOWED, A FILTER FOR REMOVING SOLID MATERIAL, RECIRCULATING MEANS AND CONDUITS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CLEANING ASSSEMBLY AND SAID FILTER PROVIDING A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM FOR FLOW OF THE SOLUTION THROUGH SAID FILTER AND SAID CLEANING ASSEMBLY, A COLOR REMOVAL DEVICE OPERABLE TO REMOVE DISCOLORING INGREDIENTS FROM THE SOLUTION, MEANS CONNECTING SAID COLOR REMOVAL DEVICE TO FORM A BY-PASS OF A PORTION OF SAID LOOP SYSTEM THROUGH WHICH AT LEAST A PORTION OF DISCOLORED SOLUTION IS PASSED AND RETURNED IN CLARIFIED FORM TO THE SYSTEM, SAID COLOR REMOVAL DEVICE INCLUDING A COLOR REMOVAL AGENT MAINTAINED IN STATIC CONDITION DURING PASSAGE OF SAID SOLUTION THERETHROUGH, SAID COLOR REMOVAL AGENT BEING COMPOSED OF A GRANULAR CARBON HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE BETWEEN ABOUT 4 AND ABOUT 60 MESH AND HAVING A SURFACE AREA BETWEEN ABOUT 600 AND ABOUT 1300 SQUARE METERS PER GRAM, A MOLASSES NUMBER OF BETWEEN ABOUT 150 AND ABOUT 400, AND AN ABRASION RESISTANCE BETWEEN ABOUT 50 AND ABOUT 98, AND SAID STATIC CONDITION OF SAID AGENT COOPERATING WITH SAID FILTER TO PREVENT INTRODUCTION OF SAID AGENT INTO SAID

Claim 3

A METHOD OF CLARIFYING DRY CLEANING SOLVENT WHEREIN THE SOLVENT IS FLOWED DURING OPERATION THEREOF IN A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM INCLUDING A CLEANING ASSEMBLY AND A FILTER FOR REMOVING SOLIDS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING AT LEAST 5% TO 50% OF SAID SOLVENT FLOWING FROM THE FILTER THROUGH A GRANULAR COLOR AND ODOR ADSORBING AGENT OF GRANULAR CARBON TO REMOVE AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE COLOR AND ODOR THEREIN, MAINTAINING SAID GRANULAR CARBON IN A STATIC NON-DISPERSED CONDITION DURING CONTACT WITH SAID SOLVENT, AND INTERMIXING THE SOLVENT OF REDUCED COLOR AND ODOR CONTENT WITH THE DISCOLORED SOLVENT FLOWING FROM THE CLEANING ASSEMBLY FOR PROGRESSIVELY REDUCING THE COLOR AND ODOR CONTENT OF ALL OF THE SOLVENT AND FOR SUBSTANTIALLY ELIMINATING CONTAMINATION OF SAID CLEANING ASSEMBLY BY SAID GRANULAR ADSORBING AGENT, SAID GRANULAR CARBON HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE BETWEEN ABOUT 4 AND ABOUT 60 MESH, A SURFACE AREA OF BETWEEN ABOUT 600 AND 1300 SQUARE METERS PER GRAM, A MOLASSES NUMBER BETWEEN ABOUT 150 AND 400, AND AN ABRASION RESISTANCE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 50 AND ABOUT 98.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF CLARIFYING DRY CLEANING SOLVENT WHEREIN THE SOLVENT IS FLOWED DURING OPERATION THEREOF IN A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM INCLUDING A CLEANING ASSEMBLY AND A FILTER FOR REMOVING SOLIDS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING AT LEAST 5% TO 50% OF SAID SOLVENT FLOWING FROM THE FILTER THROUGH A GRANULAR COLOR AND ODOR ADSORBING AGENT OF GRANULAR CARBON TO REMOVE AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE COLOR AND ODOR THEREIN, MAINTAINING SAID GRANULAR CARBON IN A STATIC NON-DISPERSED CONDITION DURING CONTACT WITH SAID SOLVENT, AND INTERMIXING THE SOLVENT OF REDUCED COLOR AND ODOR CONTENT WITH THE DISCOLORED SOLVENT FLOWING FROM THE CLEANING ASSEMBLY FOR PROGRESSIVELY REDUCING THE COLOR AND ODOR CONTENT OF ALL OF THE SOLVENT AND FOR SUBSTANTIALLY ELIMINATING CONTAMINATION OF SAID CLEANING ASSEMBLY BY SAID GRANULAR ADSORBING AGENT, SAID GRANULAR CARBON HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE BETWEEN ABOUT 4 AND ABOUT 60 MESH, A SURFACE AREA OF BETWEEN ABOUT 600 AND 1300 SQUARE METERS PER GRAM, A MOLASSES NUMBER BETWEEN ABOUT 150 AND 400, AND AN ABRASION RESISTANCE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 50 AND ABOUT 98.