Process for artificially drying lumber

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF DRYING GREEN HARDWOOD LUMBER COMPRISING STACKING THE LUMBER IN AN ENCLOSURE SEPARATED FROM THE OUTSIDE ATMOSPHERE WITH A CENTRAL OPEN SPACE RUNNING THE LENGTH OF THE ENCLOSURE BETWEEN LUMBER STACKS AND A PERIMETER OPEN SPACE BETWEEN THE ENCLOSURE WALLS AND THE LUMBER STACKS, AND THEREAFTER SIMULTANEOUSLY: (A) MAINTAINING THE AIR TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY INSIDE THE ENCLOSURE SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THROUGHOUT BY CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING THE AIR THROUGH THE ENCLOSURE AND THE STACKED LUMBER AT A HIGH VELOCITY, THE SAID CIRCULATION BEING MAINTAINED BY CIRCULATION MEANS POSITIONED ABOVE THE STACKED LUMBER SO AS TO MOVE THE AIR THROUGH THE STACKED LUMBER AND REFLECT THE AIR FROM THE ENCLOSURE FLOOR; (B) GRADUALLY RAISING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE LUMBER AND CIRCULATING AIR BY WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF AIR FROM THE ENCLOSURE TO A HEAT EXCHANGE MEANS, AND REINTRODUCING THE HEATED AIR FREE FROM CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE ATMOSPHERE INTO THE ENCLOSURE BY FORCED UPWARDS FLOW IN THE CENTRAL OPEN SPACE OF THE ENCLOSURE, THEREBY DIRECTING THE HOT AIR TOWARD THE CIRCULATION MEANS ABOVE THE LUMBER, AND BLENDING THE HOT AIR WITH THE CIRCULATING AIR TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY THEREOF BEFORE CONTACTING THE LUMBER; AND, (C) GRADUALLY REDUCING THE MOSISTURE CONTENT OF THE LUMBER AND THE CIRCULATING AIR BY REFLECTING THE CIRCULATING AIR FROM MOISTURE CONDENSING AND REMOVAL MEANS ON THE FLOOR UNDER THE LUMBER, THE SAID MOISTURE CONDENSING MEANS COVERING THE FLOOR AREA UNDER THE LUMBER.