Valve mechanism for fluid and liquid contact apparatus

Claim 1

IN A CONTACT APPARATUS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SUPERPOSED PLATES HAVING A SERIES OF APERTURES THEREIN AND A SERIES OF RECIPROCALLY MOVABLE CHECK VALVES FOR SAID SERIES OF APERTURES MOVABLE RELATIVE THERETO BY GASEOUS PRESSURE EXERTED FROM BENEATH SAID PLATES, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A UNITARY CHECK VALVE FOR AT LEAST SOME OF SAID APERTURES, EACH OF SAID VALVES HAVING A HEAD PORTION, PERIPHERAL PORTIONS OF SAID VALVE HEAD PORTION RESTING OVER SUPPORTING PLATE PORTIONS WHEN SAID CHECK VALVE IS IN THE LOWERMOST POSITION OF ITS RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT, LEG PORTIONS FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH AND DEPENDING FROM PERIPHERAL PORTIONS OF SAID HEAD PORTION, SAID DEPENDING LEG PORTIONS BEING RECEIVABLE WITHIN ONE OF SAID PLATE APERTURES AND OCCUPYING A MINUTE PORTION OF SAID APERTURE CROSS-SECTION WHEN SAID SAID VALVE IS IN A RAISED POSITION WHEREBY AN INSIGNIFICANT OBSTRUCTION IS AFFORDED BY SAID LEG PORTIONS TO THE GASEOUS PRESSURE RISING FROM BENEATH SAID PLATE, AND RETAINING PORTIONS CONNECTED TO SAID LEG PORTIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AWAY FROM THE CENTER OF SAID VALVE HEAD PORTION, SAID RETAINING PORTIONS EXTENDING BENEATH UNDERSURFACE PORTIONS OF SAID PLATES DEFINING SAID APERTURES WHEN SAID VALVES ARE IN THE RAISED POSITION WHEREBY SAID VALVES ARE RETAINED TO SAID PLATES, PORTIONS OF EACH OF SAID LEG PORTIONS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT TO THE PERIPHERY OF THE APERTURE IN WHICH DISPOSED IN THE NORMAL COURSE OF VALVE RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT WHEREBY JAMMING OF THE VALVE WITHIN THE PLATE APERTURE IS SUBSTANTIALLY OBVIATED.