Automatic filter apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS OF SEPARATING PARTICULATE MATERIAL FROM A GASEOUS STREAM COMPRISING: (A) A LONGITUDINAL, VERTICALLY EXTENDING GAS IMPERVIOUS HOUSING; (B) A LONGITUDINAL, VERTICALLY CO-EXTENDING GAS PERVIOUS ENDLESS FILTER MEDIUM SUPPORT BELT MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOUSING TO DEFINE THEREWITH AN UPSTREAM DIRTY GAS PLENUM OF HORSESHOE-LIKE SHAPE WITH A CROSSSECTIONAL AREA DECREASING IN GRADUAL MANNER FROM ONE LEG TO THE OTHER AND TO DEFINE THEREBETWEEN A DOWNSTREAM GAS PLENUM SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDED BY SAID FIRST GAS PLENUM; (C) DIRTY GAS UPSTREAM INLET MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID HORSESHOE SHAPED DIRTY GAS PLENUM AT THE LEG EXTREMITY HAVING THE GREATEST CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND ADJACENT ONE EXTREMITY OF SAID FILTER MEDIUM SUPPORT BELT MEANS, SAID DIRTY GAS INLET MEANS BEING POSITIONED TO INITIALLY DELIVER SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE DIRTY GAS TO BE TREATED IN A PATH SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THET UPSTREAM FACE OF SAID FILTER MEDIUM SUPPORT BELT MEANS; (D) CLEAN GAS OUTLET MEANS ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE EXTREMITY OF SAID ENDLESS FILTER MEDIUM SUPPORT BELT MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID DOWNSTREAM GAS PLENUM, SAID DIRTY GAS INLET AND CLEAN GAS OUTLET MEANS INCLUDING SPACED PARALLEL, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING OPPOSITELY TAPERED GAS PASSAGES OF GRADUALLY DECREASING WIDTH WITH THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER LINES THEREOF EXTENDING NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CENTER LINE OF SAID FILTER MEDIUM SUPPORT BELT MEANS; (E) PARTICULATE MATERIAL OUTLET MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID HORSESHOE SHAPED DIRTY GAS PLENUM AT THE LEG EXTREMITY HAVING THE SMALLEST CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA, THE VELOCITY OF THE GAS STREAM BEING MAINTAINED SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT ALONG THE ENTIRE UPSTREAM FACE OF SAID FILTER MEDIUM SUPPORT BELT MEANS DUE TO THE SHAPE OF SAID DIRTY GAS PLENUM, SAID GAS INLET AND GAS OUTLET PASSAGES AND THE MANNER IN WHICH DIRTY GAS IS INTRODUCED TO CAUSE A FIRST PORTION OF SAID GAS STREAM TO BE CARRIED ALONG A PATH UPSTREAM AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL SAID FILTER MEDIUM SUPPORT BELT MEANS TO SAID PARTICULATE OUTLET MEANS AND A SECOND PORTION OF SAID GAS STREAM TO PASS THROUGH SAID FILTER MEDIUM SUPPORT BELT MEANS TO SAID CLEAN GAS OUTLET MEANS; (F) FILTER MEDIUM SUPPLY MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT AN EXTREMITY OF ONE FLIGHT OF SAID ENDLESS FILTER MEDIUM SUPPORT BELT MEANS TO SUPPLY CLEAN FILTER MEDIUM THERETO; (G) FILTER MEDIUM TAKE-UP MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT A CORRESPONDING EXTREMITY OF THE OPPOSITE FLIGHT OF SAID ENDLESS FILTER MEDIUM SUPPORT BELT MEANS TO TAKEUP DIRTY FILTER MEDIUM; AND (H) A PAIR OF COMPRESSION ROLLS ARRANGED TO FEED SAID MEDIUM THERETHROUGH AND COMPRESS THE PARTICULATE MATERIAL THEREON.