Method and apparatus for transporting package material in a pipeline

Claim 1

A METHOD OF TRANSPORTING A SOLID SUBSTANCE WHICH COMPRISES: (A) ESTABLISHING A PIPELINE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM INTERNAL DIAMETER AND EXTENDING FROM A FIRST LOCATION TO A SECOND LOCATION MANY MILES DISTANT FROM SAID FIRST LOCATION, (B) CONTINUOUSLY PUMPING A CARRIER FLUID THROUGH SAID PIPELINE, (C) FORMING SAID SOLID SUBSTANCE INTO A MULTIPLICITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SHAPES EACH HAVING AN AXIS OF APPROXMATE SYMMETRY AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR CONTOUR ABOUT SAID AXIS, INCLUDING THE STEP OF ENCLOSING EACH SAID SHAPE WITHIN A FLEXIBLE PLASTIC COMPOSITION FILM, THE MAXIMUM DIAMETER OF EACH SAID SHAPE BEING LESS THAN SAID INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID PIPELINE, (D) EACH SAID SHAPE HAVING A RATIO OF DENSITY TO THAT OF SAID CARRIER STREAM OF (10 TO 1) TO (0.7 TO 1), (E) INSERTING AT SAID FIRST LOCATION SAID SHAPES IN AXIALLY ALIGNED ORDER AND AT SPACE INTERVALS INTO SAID PIPELINE FOR ENTRAINMENT BY SAID CARRIER FLUID TO FORM A CONTINUOUSLY MOVING STREAM FLOWING FROM ONE TO THE OTHER OF SAID LOCATIONS AND COMPOSED OF SAID CARRIER FLUID AND SAID SHAPES IN SPACED SINGLE ROW DISTRIBUTION OF SAID FLUID, AND (F) REMOVING SAID INSERTED SHAPES FROM SAID PIPELINE AT SAID SECOND LOCATION.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF TRANSPORTING A SOLID SUBSTANCE WHICH COMPRISES: (A) ESTABLISHING A PIPELINE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM INTERNAL DIAMETER AND EXTENDING FROM A FIRST LOCATION TO A SECOND LOCATION MANY MILES DISTANT FROM SAID FIRST LOCATION, (B) CONTINUOUSLY PUMPING A CARRIER FLUID THROUGH SAID PIPELINE, (C) FORMING SAID SOLID SUBSTANCE INTO A MULTIPLICITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SHAPES EACH HAVING AN AXIS OF APPROXMATE SYMMETRY AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR CONTOUR ABOUT SAID AXIS, INCLUDING THE STEP OF ENCLOSING EACH SAID SHAPE WITHIN A FLEXIBLE PLASTIC COMPOSITION FILM, THE MAXIMUM DIAMETER OF EACH SAID SHAPE BEING LESS THAN SAID INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID PIPELINE, (D) EACH SAID SHAPE HAVING A RATIO OF DENSITY TO THAT OF SAID CARRIER STREAM OF (10 TO 1) TO (0.7 TO 1), (E) INSERTING AT SAID FIRST LOCATION SAID SHAPES IN AXIALLY ALIGNED ORDER AND AT SPACE INTERVALS INTO SAID PIPELINE FOR ENTRAINMENT BY SAID CARRIER FLUID TO FORM A CONTINUOUSLY MOVING STREAM FLOWING FROM ONE TO THE OTHER OF SAID LOCATIONS AND COMPOSED OF SAID CARRIER FLUID AND SAID SHAPES IN SPACED SINGLE ROW DISTRIBUTION OF SAID FLUID, AND (F) REMOVING SAID INSERTED SHAPES FROM SAID PIPELINE AT SAID SECOND LOCATION.