Air treating and conditioning apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF AIR AND COMPRISING AN ENCLOSURE, UPPER AND LOWER HORIZONTAL ROLLS THEREIN, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROLLS BEING A DRIVE ROLL, MEANS FOR DRIVING THE DRIVE ROLL UNIDIRECTIONALLY AT VERY SLOW SPEED, AN ENDLESS FILTER BELT EXTENDING ABOUT THE ROLLS AND SUPPORTED THEREBY AND DRIVEN BY THE DRIVE ROLL ALONG A CLOSED PATH WHEREIN THE INNER FACE OF THE DOWNWARDLY TRAVELING PORTION OF THE BELT IS IN SPACED FACE TO FACE RELATION TO THE INNER FACE OF THE UPWARDLY TRAVELING PORTION OF THE BELT, SAID ENCLOSURE HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET, MEANS TO BLOW AIR INTO THE INLET, MEANS TO DIRECT THE AIR BLOWN INTO THE INLET TO ENTER THE BELT THROUGH THE OUTER FACE OF THE BELT AT THE DOWNWARDLY TRAVELING PORTION OF THE BELT, THEN PASS THROUGH BOTH PORTIONS OF THE BELT, AND OUT THROUGH THE UPWARDLY TRAVELING PORTION SO THAT THE AIR DISCHARGES FINALLY THROUGH THE OUTER FACE OF THE UPWARDLY TRAVELING PORTION; SAID FILTER BELT BEING A COMPRESSIBLE AND DISTORTABLE, RESILIENT, SELF-RESTORING, THREE DIMENSIONAL, OPEN POROUS SKELETAL FRAMEWORK OF INTERCONNECTED STRANDS OF SYNTHETIC ORGANIC PLASTIC MATERIAL, AND SAID FRAMEWORK BEING OF SUBSTANTIAL THICKNESS SO THAT, UPON BUCKLING AND FLEXTURE OF THE STRANDS OF THE FRAMEWORK, THE FRAMEWORK IS REDUCED IN THICKNESS AND THE OPEN PORES ARE CHANGED IN SHAPE AND REDUCED IN SIZE AND, UPON DISCONTINUANCE OF THE BUCKLING AND FLEXURE, THE FRAMEWORK IS SELF-RESTORED TO ITS ORIGINAL THICKNESS AND THE PORES ARE SELF-RESTORED TO THEIR ORIGINAL SHAPE; SAID OPEN PORES PROVIDING A MULTIPLICITY OF RELATIVELY FREE INTERCONNECTED PASSAGES EXTENDING THROUGH THE FLITER BELT AND OF A SIZE AFFORDING A RELATIVELY FREE FLOW OF AIR DIRECTLY THROUGH THE FILTER BELT; SAID LOWER ROLL BEING ARRANGED TO APPLY FORCE DOWNWARDLY AGAINST THE INNER FACE OF THE BELT, AT THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BELT, SUFFICIENT TO BUCKLE AND FLEX THE STRANDS OF THE BELT AND THEREBY MATERIALLY REDUCE GRADUALLY THE THICKNESS OF THE BELT FROM THE NORMAL THICKNESS IT HAD AS IT APPROACHED THE LOWER ROLL, AND THEN TO GRADUALLY RELEASE THE FORCE AS THE BELT PASSES OUT FROM BENEATH THE LOWER ROLL SO THAT THE BELT RESTORES ITSELF TO ITS NORMAL THICKNESS AND THE PORES RESTORE THEMSELVES TO THEIR ORGINAL OPEN SHAPE; AND MEANS, INCLUDING A TANK, FOR MAINTAINING A LIQUID BATH THROUGH WHICH THE PORTION OF THE BELT WHICH IS IN CONTACT WITH THE LOWER ROLL IS CONSTRAINED TO PASS WHILE SAID PORTION IS IN CONTACT WITH SAID LOWER ROLL.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF AIR AND COMPRISING AN ENCLOSURE, UPPER AND LOWER HORIZONTAL ROLLS THEREIN, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROLLS BEING A DRIVE ROLL, MEANS FOR DRIVING THE DRIVE ROLL UNIDIRECTIONALLY AT VERY SLOW SPEED, AN ENDLESS FILTER BELT EXTENDING ABOUT THE ROLLS AND SUPPORTED THEREBY AND DRIVEN BY THE DRIVE ROLL ALONG A CLOSED PATH WHEREIN THE INNER FACE OF THE DOWNWARDLY TRAVELING PORTION OF THE BELT IS IN SPACED FACE TO FACE RELATION TO THE INNER FACE OF THE UPWARDLY TRAVELING PORTION OF THE BELT, SAID ENCLOSURE HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET, MEANS TO BLOW AIR INTO THE INLET, MEANS TO DIRECT THE AIR BLOWN INTO THE INLET TO ENTER THE BELT THROUGH THE OUTER FACE OF THE BELT AT THE DOWNWARDLY TRAVELING PORTION OF THE BELT, THEN PASS THROUGH BOTH PORTIONS OF THE BELT, AND OUT THROUGH THE UPWARDLY TRAVELING PORTION SO THAT THE AIR DISCHARGES FINALLY THROUGH THE OUTER FACE OF THE UPWARDLY TRAVELING PORTION; SAID FILTER BELT BEING A COMPRESSIBLE AND DISTORTABLE, RESILIENT, SELF-RESTORING, THREE DIMENSIONAL, OPEN POROUS SKELETAL FRAMEWORK OF INTERCONNECTED STRANDS OF SYNTHETIC ORGANIC PLASTIC MATERIAL, AND SAID FRAMEWORK BEING OF SUBSTANTIAL THICKNESS SO THAT, UPON BUCKLING AND FLEXTURE OF THE STRANDS OF THE FRAMEWORK, THE FRAMEWORK IS REDUCED IN THICKNESS AND THE OPEN PORES ARE CHANGED IN SHAPE AND REDUCED IN SIZE AND, UPON DISCONTINUANCE OF THE BUCKLING AND FLEXURE, THE FRAMEWORK IS SELF-RESTORED TO ITS ORIGINAL THICKNESS AND THE PORES ARE SELF-RESTORED TO THEIR ORIGINAL SHAPE; SAID OPEN PORES PROVIDING A MULTIPLICITY OF RELATIVELY FREE INTERCONNECTED PASSAGES EXTENDING THROUGH THE FLITER BELT AND OF A SIZE AFFORDING A RELATIVELY FREE FLOW OF AIR DIRECTLY THROUGH THE FILTER BELT; SAID LOWER ROLL BEING ARRANGED TO APPLY FORCE DOWNWARDLY AGAINST THE INNER FACE OF THE BELT, AT THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BELT, SUFFICIENT TO BUCKLE AND FLEX THE STRANDS OF THE BELT AND THEREBY MATERIALLY REDUCE GRADUALLY THE THICKNESS OF THE BELT FROM THE NORMAL THICKNESS IT HAD AS IT APPROACHED THE LOWER ROLL, AND THEN TO GRADUALLY RELEASE THE FORCE AS THE BELT PASSES OUT FROM BENEATH THE LOWER ROLL SO THAT THE BELT RESTORES ITSELF TO ITS NORMAL THICKNESS AND THE PORES RESTORE THEMSELVES TO THEIR ORGINAL OPEN SHAPE; AND MEANS, INCLUDING A TANK, FOR MAINTAINING A LIQUID BATH THROUGH WHICH THE PORTION OF THE BELT WHICH IS IN CONTACT WITH THE LOWER ROLL IS CONSTRAINED TO PASS WHILE SAID PORTION IS IN CONTACT WITH SAID LOWER ROLL.