Apparatus for utilizing a traveling filter belt

Claim 1

IN A ROTARY DRUM FILTER APPARATUS HAVING: SUPPORT STRCUTURE MEANS; A FILTER DRUM MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE MEANS ROTATABLE ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS WITH THE LOWER PORTION IMMERSED IN A BATH OF SLURRY; AN ENDLESS TRAVELING FILTER BELT OF POROUS FILTER MATERIAL SURROUNDING AND ENGAGING A MAJOR PORTION OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID DRUM SO THAT THE BELT IS MOVED BY THE ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, SAID BELT BEING EFFECTIVE TO COLLECT AND HOLD A LAYER OF SOLIDS FROM SAID BATH TO BE REMOVED FROM SAID BELT IN THE OPERATING CYCLE OF SAID DRUM, SAID BELT EXTENDING OVER A SYSTEM OF ROTATABLE GUIDE ROLLS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE MEANS AND ROTATED BY SAID BELT FOR GUIDING THE BELT AWAY FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE DRUM AND BACK ONTO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE DRUM AT WHICH SAID LAYER OF SOLIDS IS COLLECTED FROM THE SLURRY BATH, SAID SYSTEM OF GUIDE ROLLS INCLUDING A BOWED DISCHARGE ROLL FOR DISCHARGING SAID LAYER OF SOLIDS FROM SAID BELT, SAID BOWED ROLL EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID BELT, AND OVER WHICH SAID BELT MAKES A SHARP BEND LONGITUDINALLY OF THE BELT, THE BOW OF SAID ROLL BEING BOWED OUTWARDLY INTO THE BEND OF SAID BELT AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE WIDTH OF THE BELT SIMULTANEOUSLY TO BREAK UP SAID LAYER OF SOLIDS AND TO OPEN SAID PORES BOTH LONGITUDINALLY AND TRANSVERSELY OF THE BELT TO RELEASE SAID SOLIDS AND CLEAR SAID PORES.