Filtering apparatus

Claim 1

IN A FILTERING APPARATUS, IN COMBINATION, A HOUSING OF SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION OVER MOST OF ITS LENGTH AND HAVING A VERTICAL AXIS AND AN UPPER END PORTION AND A LOWER END PORTION AND A MAIN PORTION THEREBETWEEN, SAID LOWER END PORTION OF SAID HOUSING BEING OF A REDUCED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AS COMPARED TO SAID MAIN PORTION THEREOF; MEANS FOR INTRODUCING INTO SAID HOUSING SOLIDS-CONTAINING LIQUID TO BE FILTERED; DRYING FLUID INLET AND OUTLET MEANS, SAID INLET MEANS BEING ARRANGED AT ONE OF SAID END PORTIONS AND SAID OUTLER MEANS BEING ARRANGED AT THE OTHER OF SAID END PORTIONS; AN ELONGATED HOLLOW SHAFT SUBSTANTIALLY COAXIAL WITH SAID HOUSING SUPPORTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS AXIS BY SAID HOUSING; A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING FILTER ELEMENTS EACH HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR OUTER RIM LOCATED IN SAID MAIN PORTION OF SAID HOUSING SPACED FROM SAID UPPER AND LOWER END PORTIONS THEREOF AND CARRIED BY SAID HOLLOW SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE SAME SO THAT SOLIDS-FREE LIQUID MAY PASS THROUGH SAID FILTER ELEMENTS INTO SAID HOLLOW SHAFT WHILE SOLIDS WILL BE RETAINED ON SAID FILTER ELEMENTS FORMING A CAKE THEREON, SAID FILTER ELEMENTS, RESPECTIVELY, BEING SUPERPOSED UPON AND VERTICALLY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER; DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATING THE LATTER AND SAID FILTER ELEMENTS CARRIED BY THE SAME; AND A PLURALITY OF BAFFLE MEANS EACH BEING ATTACHED RESPECTIVELY TO A DIFFERENT ONE OF SAID FILTER ELEMENTS ALONG A SUBSTANTIALLY SEMI-CIRCULAR CIRCUMFERENTIAL PORTION OF THE OUTER RIM OF THE LATTER AND EXTENDING IN STAGGERED RELATIONSHIP RADIALLY ACROSS SAID ANNULAR SPACE FOR DIRECTING DRYING FLUID THROUGH SAID HOUSING FROM SAID INLET MEANS TO SAID OUTLER MEANS ALONG A MEANDERING PATH PASSING SUCCESSIVELY BETWEEN ADJACENT ONES OF SAID SUPERPOSED FILTER MEANS.