Material classifying apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR CLASSIFYING RELATIVELY FINE PARTICLES OF MATERIAL, WHICH DEVICE COMPRISED A BODY HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND PROVIDING CONFINING MEANS DEFINING AN ENCLOSURE IN WHICH THE MATERIAL TO BE CLASSIFIED IS CONTAINED IN THE PRESENCE OF A GASEOUS MEDIUM, A SIFTING SURFACE PARTITIONING SAID ENCLOSURE INTO AN UPPER RETAINING CHAMBER AND A LOWER COLLECTING CHAMBER, DRIVING MEANS TO IMPART TO SAID SIFTING SURFACE A CYCLIC SIFTING MOTION ALONG A PATH OF TRAVEL, A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE TOTAL COMPONENTS OF WHICH IS IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION, WHICH SIFTING MOTION CAUSED MATERIAL THAT IS SITUATED IN SAID RETAINING CHAMBER TO BE CLASSIFIED IN A MANNER THAT ONE CLASS OF SAID MATERIAL PASSES THROUGH SAID SIFTING SURFACE INTO SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER AND ANOTHER CLASS OF SAID MATERIAL IS PREVENTED BY SAID SIFTING SURFACE FROM PASSING INTO SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER, MATERIAL INLET MEANS AT ONE END OF SAID UPPER CHAMBER AND MATERIAL OUTLET MEANS AT THE OTHER END OF SAID UPPER CHAMBER, SAID BODY HAVING A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL BOTTOM WALL WHICH DEFINES SAID LOWER COLLECTING CHAMBER AND IS MOVABLE VERTICALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID BODY, PRESSURE GENERATING MEANS TO MOVE SAID BOTTOM WALL IN A CYCLIC UP AND DOWN MOTION IN TIMED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID DRIVING MEANS TO GENERATE DESIRED PERIODIC PRESSURE DIFFERENTIALS PROXIMATE SAID SIFTING SURFACE,WHEREBY MATERIAL ON SAID SIFTING SURFACE IS ALTERNATELY SUBJECTED TO A LIFTING FORCE AND DEPRESSING FORCE IN PROPER TIMED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID CYCLIC SIFTING MOTION, TO CAUSE THE MATERIAL TO BE CONVEYED ALONG THE SIFTING SURFACE AS THE MATERIAL IS BEING CLASSIFIED, AND OTHER MATERIAL OUTLET MEANS LEADING FROM SAID LOWER COLLECTING CHAMBER, SAID OTHER MATERIAL OUTLET MEANS BEING LOCATED AT THE SAME END OF SAID APPARATUS AS SAID MATERIAL INLET MEANS, WHEREBY MATERIAL WHICH PASSES THROUGH SAID SIFTING SURFACE AND IS CONVEYED IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT IN WHICH THE MATERIAL RETAINED ON SAID SIFTING SURFACE IS CONVEYED IS ABLE TO PASS OUT SAID OUTLET MEANS, SAID UPPER AND LOWER CHAMBERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED EXCEPT FOR THE MATERIAL INLET AND OUTLET MEANS RECITED HEREIN.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR CLASSIFYING RELATIVELY FINE PARTICLES OF MATERIAL, WHICH DEVICE COMPRISED A BODY HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND PROVIDING CONFINING MEANS DEFINING AN ENCLOSURE IN WHICH THE MATERIAL TO BE CLASSIFIED IS CONTAINED IN THE PRESENCE OF A GASEOUS MEDIUM, A SIFTING SURFACE PARTITIONING SAID ENCLOSURE INTO AN UPPER RETAINING CHAMBER AND A LOWER COLLECTING CHAMBER, DRIVING MEANS TO IMPART TO SAID SIFTING SURFACE A CYCLIC SIFTING MOTION ALONG A PATH OF TRAVEL, A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE TOTAL COMPONENTS OF WHICH IS IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION, WHICH SIFTING MOTION CAUSED MATERIAL THAT IS SITUATED IN SAID RETAINING CHAMBER TO BE CLASSIFIED IN A MANNER THAT ONE CLASS OF SAID MATERIAL PASSES THROUGH SAID SIFTING SURFACE INTO SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER AND ANOTHER CLASS OF SAID MATERIAL IS PREVENTED BY SAID SIFTING SURFACE FROM PASSING INTO SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER, MATERIAL INLET MEANS AT ONE END OF SAID UPPER CHAMBER AND MATERIAL OUTLET MEANS AT THE OTHER END OF SAID UPPER CHAMBER, SAID BODY HAVING A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL BOTTOM WALL WHICH DEFINES SAID LOWER COLLECTING CHAMBER AND IS MOVABLE VERTICALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID BODY, PRESSURE GENERATING MEANS TO MOVE SAID BOTTOM WALL IN A CYCLIC UP AND DOWN MOTION IN TIMED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID DRIVING MEANS TO GENERATE DESIRED PERIODIC PRESSURE DIFFERENTIALS PROXIMATE SAID SIFTING SURFACE,WHEREBY MATERIAL ON SAID SIFTING SURFACE IS ALTERNATELY SUBJECTED TO A LIFTING FORCE AND DEPRESSING FORCE IN PROPER TIMED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID CYCLIC SIFTING MOTION, TO CAUSE THE MATERIAL TO BE CONVEYED ALONG THE SIFTING SURFACE AS THE MATERIAL IS BEING CLASSIFIED, AND OTHER MATERIAL OUTLET MEANS LEADING FROM SAID LOWER COLLECTING CHAMBER, SAID OTHER MATERIAL OUTLET MEANS BEING LOCATED AT THE SAME END OF SAID APPARATUS AS SAID MATERIAL INLET MEANS, WHEREBY MATERIAL WHICH PASSES THROUGH SAID SIFTING SURFACE AND IS CONVEYED IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT IN WHICH THE MATERIAL RETAINED ON SAID SIFTING SURFACE IS CONVEYED IS ABLE TO PASS OUT SAID OUTLET MEANS, SAID UPPER AND LOWER CHAMBERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED EXCEPT FOR THE MATERIAL INLET AND OUTLET MEANS RECITED HEREIN.