Self-cleaning screen structure for vibratory separators

Claim 1

A SELF-CLEANING VIBRATORY SEPARATOR, COMPRISING: AN UPPER SEPARATING SCREEN ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THEREON MATERIAL TO BE SCREENED: A LOWER SUPPORT SCREEN OF RELATIVELY GREATER MESH SIZE THAN SAID UPPER SCREEN AND DISPOSED IN PARALLEL RELATION THEREWITH; A MULTIPLICITY OF CLEANING ELEMENTS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SCREENS, SAID CLEANING ELEMENTS BEING UNIFORM IN CROSS SECTION AND HAVING FLAT ENDS; EACH OF SAID CLEANING ELEMENTS, WHEN RESTING BY ONE END ON SAID SUPPORTING SCREEN, PRESENTING ITS OTHER END DISPLACED FROM BUT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID SEPARATING SCREEN; THE DIMENSIONS OF SAID CLEANING ELEMENT AND THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID SCREENS BEING SUCH THAT SAID CLEANING ELEMENTS ARE RESTRAINED TO A POSITION WITH THEIR FLAT ENDS ESSENTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID SCREENS; AND MEANS, INCLUDING AXIALLY SPACED AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DISPLACED ECCENTRIC WEIGHTS WHICH ROTOTE AROUND THE VERTICAL AXIS OF SAID SCREENS, FOR CAUSING GYRATORY VIBRATION OF SAID SCREENS THEREBY TO CAUSE A COMPONENT OF SAID MATERIAL TO PASS THROUGH SAID SEPARATING SCREEN, AND THE REMAINING COMPONENT TO MOVE SPIRALLY ON SAID SEPARATING SCREEN, SAID GYRATORY VIBRATORY MEANS ALSO CAUSING SAID CLEANING ELEMENTS TO VIBRATE VERTICALLY AND SPIRALLY BETWEEN SAID SCREENS THEREBY CAUSING THE FLAT UPPER ENDS OF SAID CLEANING ELEMENTS TO STRIKE AND WIPE AGAINST THE UNDER PORTION OF SAID SEPARATING SCREEN, SAID CLEANING ELEMENTS BEING IN THE FORM OF HOLLOW CYLINDERS SO AS TO PRESENT TO SAID SCREENS A CUMULATIVE OPEN AREA WITHIN AND BETWEEN SAID CLEANING ELEMENTS APPROXIMATELY THE CUMULATIVE OPEN AREA OF SAID SEPARATING SCREEN.