Separator-disposal apparatus

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING REFUSE FROM EATING UTENSILS HAVING A HIGHER SPECIFIC GRAVITY THAN SAID REFUSE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A CONVEYOR FOR RECEIVING AND TRANSPORTING A TRAY HAVING A COMBINATION OF SAID REFUSE AND SAID UTENSILS THEREON ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH OF TRAVEL; MEANS AT ONE END OF SAID CONVEYOR FOR TIPPING SAID TRAY TOWARD A VERTICAL POSITION TO DISLODGE SAID REFUSE AND SAID UTENSILS FROM SAID TRAY BY THE ACTION OF GRAVITY AND FOR DIRECTING SAID TRAY TO A LOCATION REMOTE FROM SAID UTENSILS AND REFUSE; A TROUGH BENEATH A PORTION OF SAID MEANS FOR TIPPING AND DIRECTING THE TRAY, SAID TROUGH HAVING A BOTTOM AND UPWARDLY EXTENDING SIDES FOR HOLDING A QUANTITY OF LIQUID AND FOR RECEIVING SAID REFUSE AND UTENSILS THEREIN; MEANS FOR SUPPLYING LIQUID TO THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID TROUGH TO RAISE AND REFUSE TOWARD THE RISING SURFACE OF SAID LIQUID WHILE PERMITTING SAID UTENSILS, BECAUSE OF THEIR HIGHER SPECIFIC GRAVITY TO GRAVITATE TO THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID TROUGH; AN OSCILLATABLE WALL PORTION IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID TROUGH; MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID WALL PORTION TO OPEN POSITION FOR DRAINING OFF THE LIQUID AND REFUSE IN SAID UPPER PORTION OF THE TROUGH, AND FOR OSCILLATING SAID WALL PORTION TO CLOSED POSITION; AND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY ACTUATING SAID OSCILLATING MEANS TO MOVE SAID WALL PORTION TO SAID OPEN POSITION WHEN THE LIQUID LEVEL IN SAID TROUGH RISES TO A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, TO MAINTAIN SAID WALL PORTION IN ITS OPEN POSITION FOR A PREDETERMINED TIME INTERVAL AND TO MOVE SAID WALL PORTION TO ITS CLOSED POSITION AT THE END OF SAID TIME INTERVAL.