Flocking apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FLOCKING TREES AND THE LIKE WITH LIGHT, RANDOM FIBROUS FLOCK; COMPRISING A FLOCK SUPPLY HOPPER SHAPED TO CONTAIN LOOSE FIBROUS FLOCK IN A DRY STATE AND HAVING A CIRCULAR AND GENERALLY FLAT BOTTOM AND A GENERALLY CIRCULAR SIDEWALL EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BOTTOM, A ROTARY AGITATOR SUPPORTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS GENERALLY CONCENTRIC WITH SAID HOPPER BOTTOM, SAID AGITATOR BEING DISPOSED IN OVERLYING PROXIMATE RELATION TO SAID HOPPER BOTTOM AND BEING SHAPED TO MOVE UPON ROTATION IN A CIRCULAR PATH LOCATED AXIALLY IN PROXIMATE RELATION TO SAID HOPPER BOTTOM EXTENDING RADIALLY INTO PROXIMATE RELATION TO SAID HOPPER SIDEWALL, POWER DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO ROTATE SAID AGITATOR, A BLOWER MOUNTED IN UNDERLYING RELATION TO SAID HOPPER AND HAVING A POWER DRIVEN ROTARY IMPELLER ROTATABLE ABOUT A GENERALLY VERTICAL AXIS, INTAKE MEANS FORMING A BLOWER INTAKE OPENING UPWARDLY FROM THE CENTER OF SAID IMPELLER AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY INTO A COACTING RELATION TO SAID HOPPER BOTTOM TO CAUSE SAID BLOWER TO SUCK FLOCK AND INTAKE AIR FROM A ZONE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID HOPPER BOTTOM, SAID HOPPER BOTTOM INCLUDING MEANS FOR DISCHARGING FLOCK DOWNWARDLY TO BE SUCKED WITH INTAKE AIR FROM A ZONE ADJACENT THE HOPPER DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE INTAKE MEANS INTO THE BLOWER, MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE RATE AT WHICH FLOCK IS SUPPLIED FROM SAID HOPPER INTO SAID INTAKE MEANS, A FLEXIBLE CONDUIT FOR AIR AND AIR ENTRAINED FLOCK, SAID FLEXIBLE CONDUIT HAVING AN INLET END CONNECTABLE WITH THE OUTLET OF SAID BLOWER, A MOVABLE FLOCK DISCHARGED AND WETTING ASSEMBLY CONNECTABLE WITHIN THE OUTLET END OF SAID FLEXIBLE CONDUIT, SAID ASSEMBLY INCLUDING MEANS DEFINING AN AIR AND DRY FLOCK FLOW CHAMBER AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING AIR AND ENTRAINED DRY FLOCK FROM SAID FLEXIBLE CONDUIT INTO SAID CHAMBER THROUGH AN INLET INTO THE CHAMBER FOR FLOW THROUGH THE CHAMBER, A BAFFLE DISPOSED IN SAID INLET AND HAVING A HELICAL TWIST WHICH CAUSES AIR AND FLOCK TO ENTER SAID FLOW CHAMBER WITH A SWIRLING MOTION, SAID FLOW CHAMBER DEFINING MEANS INCLUDING AIR NOZZLE MEANS FORMING A GENERALLY CIRCULAR OUTLET OPENING FROM THE CHAMBER, LIQUID ATOMIZING NOZZLE MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID FLOW CHAMBER OUTLET IN GENERALLY COAXIAL RELATION THERETO TO FORM IN COOPERATION WITH SAID AIR NOZZLE MEANS AN ANNULAR AIR AND DRY FLOCK DISCHARGE NOZZLE OPENING OUTWARDLY IN ENCIRCLING RELATION TO SAID ATOMIZING NOZZLE MEANS TO DISCHARGE AIR AND FLOCK IN A TRAJECTORY THAT BEGINS IN COAXIAL ENCIRCLING RELATION TO THE ATOMIZING NOZZLE MEANS, A FLEXIBLE LIQUID SUPPLY CONDUIT, SAID ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A LIQUID SUPPLY PIPE INTERCONNECTABLE WITH SAID FLEXIBLE LIQUID SUPPLY CONDUIT, SAID LIQUID SUPPLY PIPE CANTILEVERING THROUGH SAID FLOW CHAMBER IN THE ASSEMBLY TO SUPPORT SAID ATOMIZING NOZZLE MEANS AND TO SUPPLY FLOCK WETTING LIQUID THERETO, SAID INLET INTO SAID CHAMBER FOR AIR AND FLOCK ENTERING THE CHAMBER BETWEEN SAID FLOCK DISCHARGE NOZZLE AND THE POSITION WHERE SAID SUPPLY PIPE ENTERS THE CHAMBER, SAID ATOMIZING NOZZLE MEANS INCLUDING CHANNEL DEFINING MEANS THROUGH WHICH FLUID FLOWS IN A PLURALITY OF STREAMS THAT ARE DIRECTED INTO INTERSECTING RELATION TO EACH OTHER TO EFFECT A HIGH ORDER OF ATOMIZATION OF THE LIQUID FLOWING THROUGH THE NOZZLE MEANS, SAID NOZZLE MEANS HAVING LIQUID OUTLET MEANS THROUGH WHICH LIQUID THAT IS ATOMIZED BY THE NOZZLE MEANS ISSUES IN A CIRCULAR FLOW PATTERN THAT DIVERGES AWAY FROM THE NOZZLE MEANS TO EFFECT WETTING OF THE FLOCK ENTRAINED IN THE TRAJECTORY OF AIR AND FLOCK MOVING BEYOND SAID LIQUID OUTLET MEANS FROM SAID AIR AND FLOCK DISCHARGE NOZZLE, SAID LIQUID OUTLET MEANS BEING LOCATED AXIALLY OUTWARD BEYOND ALL OTHER STRUCTURE OF SAID ASSEMBLY TO PRECLUDE WETTING OF ANY STRUCTURE OF THE ASSEMBLY BY ATOMIZED LIQUID ISSUING FROM THE NOZZLE MEANS, AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF LIQUID THROUGH SAID PIPE TO SAID ATOMIZING NOZZLE MEANS.