Screw press and shredder apparatus

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED SCREW PRESS FOR EXPRESSING FLUIDS FROM SOLID MATERIALS WHICH TEND TO FORM INTO LARGE CHUNKS WHEN SUBJECTED TO MECHANICAL PRESSURE AND ADAPTED TO SHRED THE COMPACTED CHUNKS OF MATERIAL INTO SMALLER PIECES AT THE DISCHARGE END OF THE PRESS, SAID PRESS CONPRISING, A PRESS CAGE, A ROTATABLE SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CAGE, FIRST DRIVE MEANS FOR SAID SHAFT, SCREW FLIGHT MEANS ON SAID SHAFT ARRANGED TO CONVEY MATERIAL THROUGH SAID CAGE, MEANS FOR PROGRESSIVELY REDUCING THE VOLUMETRIC SPACE BETWEEN SAID FLIGHT MEANS TOWARD THE DISCHARGE END OF THE PRESS CAUSING A COMPRESSION OF THE MATERIAL, RING MEANS DEFINING A DISCHARGE OPENING AT ONE END OF SAID CAGE THROUGH WHICH SAID FLIGHT MEANS FORCES THE MATERIAL, A SLEEVE ON SAID SHAFT AND COOPERATING WITH SAID MEANS DEFINING SAID DISCHARGE OPENING TO FORM AN ANNULAR RESTRICTED DISCHARGE ORIFICE OF REDUCED AREA THEREBETWEEN, MEANS FOR AJUSTING SAID RING MEANS AXIALLY TO VARY THE SIZE OF SAID DISCHARGE ORIFICES, LUG MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SLEEVE FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, A SHREDDER MEMBER MOUNTED AT THE EXTERIOR OF SAID CAGE AND COAXIALLY WITH SAID SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF BLADES ON SAID SHREDDER MEMBER EXTENDING TOWARDS SAID RESTRICTED ORIFICE TO RECEIVE MATERIAL DIRECTLY FROM SAID ORIFICE, AND SECOND DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SHREDDER MEMBER FOR ROTATING SAID SHREDDER MEMBER TO SWEEP SAID BLADES PAST SAID LUG MEANS AND THEREBY TO SHRED THE CHUNKS OF MATERIAL DISCHARGED THROUGH SAID ORIFICE INTO RELATIVELY SMALL PIECES.