Rotary vacuum filter

Claim 1

PRECOAT VACUUM FILTER APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING FILTRATE WITHIN A HORIZONTALLY ROTATING FILTER DRUM AT THE APPROXIMATE LEVEL OF THE AXIS THEREOF, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A TANK MEMBER WITH AN OPEN TOP, SDEWALLS, AND A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED ENDWALLS INTERCONNECTED THEREWITH, A HOLLOW FILTER DRUM HAVING AN AXIS AND COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED APART END PLATE MEANS CONNECTED BY SPACED PARALLEL RODS LONGITUDINALLY ARRANGED TO DEFINE PERIHPERAL SURFACES OF SAID DRUM, SAID PERIPHAL SURFACES BEING FURTHER DEFINED BY SPACED RODS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ARRANGED AROUND SAID DRUM BETWEEN SAID END PLATES, SAID DRUM INCLUDING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A FILTER CLOTH MEANS OVER SAID PERIPHERAL SURFACES, SHAFT MEANS EXTENDING AXIALLY IN OPPOSED DIRECTION FROM EACH SAID END PLATE MEANS, THE SHAFT MEANS FROM ONE SAID END PLATE BEING HOLLOW AND BEING IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID DRUM AT THE APPROXIMATE LEVEL OF SAID AXIS, BEARING MEANS ADJACENT EACH ONE OF SAID PAIR OF SPACED ENDWALLS FOR SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT MEANS AN CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO LOCATE AT LEAST ONE HALF OF THE INTERIOR VOLUME OF SAID DRUM WITHIN SAID TANK MEMBER, INLET MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TANK FOR SUPPLYING LIQUID TO BE FILTERED INTO SAID TANK IN THE SPACE THEREIN EXTERIORLY OF SAID DRUM, OUTLET MEANS FOR REMOVING FILTERED LIQUID COMPRISING FLUID PUMP MEANS, A ROTARY COUPLING MEANS CONNECTED TO THE OUTWARD END OF SAID HOLLOW SHAFT MEANS, AND PIPE MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID FLUID PUMP MEANS AND SAID ROTARY COUPLING, AGITATOR MEANS LOCATED IN SAID TANK EXTERIORLY OF SAID DRUM FOR MAINTAINING SOLID MATERIALS SUSPENDED INLIQUID IN SAID TANK, BLADE MEANS WITH AN EDGE THEREOF ADJUSTABLY SPACED APART FROM SAID PERIPHERAL SURFACES ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF, AND DRIVE MEANS CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO ROTATE SAID DRUM, TO OPERATIVELY POWER SAID FLUID PUMP MEANS AND SAID AGITATOR MEANS, AND TO ADJUSTABLY LOCATE SAID BLADE EDGE RELATIVE TO SAID PERIPHENL SURFACES, WHEREBY LIQUID FILTERED BY SAID HOLLOW DRUM THROUGH A FILTER CLOTH THEREON IS RETAINED WITHIN THE INTERIOR THEREOF AT A LIQUID LEVEL ABOUT SAID APPROXIMATE LEVEL AND FILTRATE LIQUID ABOVE SAID APPROXIMATE LEVEL IS REMOVED FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID DRUM BY SAID FLUID PUMP MEANS THROUGH SAID HOLLOW SHAFT MEANS.