Heat treating apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS OPERABLE TO APPLY HEAT SUCCESSIVELY TO A PORTION OF EACH OF A PLURALITY OF SIMILAR WORKPIECES FOR RAISING THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF TO A DESIRED EXTEND WHILE PREVENTING AN ADJACENT PORTION OF EACH OF SUCH WORKPIECES FROM EXPERIENCEING A SIMILAR TEMPERATURE RISE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A ROTARY WORKPIECE-CONVEYOR MEANS ROTATABLE IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS AND ADAPTED TO REMOVABLY SUPPORT AN ARRAY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED-APART WORKPIECES IN AN ATTITUDE IN WHICH THEIR RESPECTIVE PORTIONS TO BE TEMPERATURE-RAISED OCCUPY A VERTICAL POSITION ABOVE THEIR ADJACENT PORTIONS TO BE TEMPERATURE-RISE-PROTECTED; A FIXED-LOCATION HEATING MEANS DISPOSED ALONG A PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE TO-BE-TEMPERATURERAISED WORKPIECE PORTIONS FOR SUBJECTION OF SAME TO A HEATING EFFECT; AND HEAT ABSORBING MEANS INCLUDING A POOL OF LIQUID BENEATH SAID HEATING MEANS HAVING A SURFACE LEVEL MAINTAINED AT A HEIGHT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL THAT TO WHICH THE TO-BE-TEMPERATURE-RISE-PROTECTED WORKPIECE PORTIONS EXTEND, AND WEIR MEANS INCLUDING NOTCHES OPEN TO THE LIQUID POOL AND EXTENDING BELOW SUCH SURFACE LEVEL, SAID NOTCHES BEING DISPOSED ALONG THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE TO-BE-TEMPERATURE-RISE PROTECTED WORKPIECE PORTIONS TO PERMIT TRAVEL OF SUCH PORTIONS THERETHROUGH FOR THEIR IMMERSION INTO AND REMOVAL FROM THE POOL OF LIQUID.