Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
128 words
A vent for use with devolatilizing apparatus including a cylindrical cage having an inlet and an outlet for a material to be devolatilized, a rotatable shaft carrying a plurality of screw members in said cage arranged to convey the material through said cage, and means for rotating said shaft, comprising: means defining a vent opening in the upper portion of the cage, vent duct means, communicating with said vent opening, for defining a closed vent chamber into which vapor may escape, said vent chamber extending substantially vertically above said vent opening, the horizontal cross-sectional area of said chamber increasing from the bottom to the top of said chamber, and vapor return means communicating only with the upper portion of said vent chamber for extracting vapor from said chamber.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
128 words
A vent for use with devolatilizing apparatus including a cylindrical cage having an inlet and an outlet for a material to be devolatilized, a rotatable shaft carrying a plurality of screw members in said cage arranged to convey the material through said cage, and means for rotating said shaft, comprising: means defining a vent opening in the upper portion of the cage, vent duct means, communicating with said vent opening, for defining a closed vent chamber into which vapor may escape, said vent chamber extending substantially vertically above said vent opening, the horizontal cross-sectional area of said chamber increasing from the bottom to the top of said chamber, and vapor return means communicating only with the upper portion of said vent chamber for extracting vapor from said chamber.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The vent of claim 1 in which said vapor return means comprises means for positively extracting vapor from said chamber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The vent of claim 2 further comprising a plurality of tamping means in said vent chamber, including a plurality of independently actuatable tamping rods, for pushing material from said vent chamber into said cage.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The vent of claim 3 in which said vent duct means further comprises sight glass means for permitting the interior of said chamber and said tamping mean to be observed.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The vent of claim 4 in which said tamping means comprises pneumatic cylinders exterior to said chamber and connected to move said tamping rods within said chamber.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
The vent of claim 1 in which said chamber is defined by a pair of parallel walls perpendicular to the axis of said cage and by a pair of non-parallel walls, each of which is parallel to the axis of said cage.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
123 words
A vent, adapted for use with a desolventizer which processes material and separates the volatiles therefrom, said desolventizer including a cylindrical cage having an inlet and an outlet for material to be devolatilized, comprising: means defining a vent opening in the upper portion of the cage, means defining a closed vent chamber having an input opening at the bottom of said chamber communicating with said vent opening through which the volatile vapors escape from the processed material, said vent chamber extending substantially vertically above said input opening and increasing in horizontal cross-sectional area from the bottom to the top of said chamber, and vapor extraction port means, communicating only with the upper portion of said chamber, for extracting said vapors from said chamber.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
123 words
A vent, adapted for use with a desolventizer which processes material and separates the volatiles therefrom, said desolventizer including a cylindrical cage having an inlet and an outlet for material to be devolatilized, comprising: means defining a vent opening in the upper portion of the cage, means defining a closed vent chamber having an input opening at the bottom of said chamber communicating with said vent opening through which the volatile vapors escape from the processed material, said vent chamber extending substantially vertically above said input opening and increasing in horizontal cross-sectional area from the bottom to the top of said chamber, and vapor extraction port means, communicating only with the upper portion of said chamber, for extracting said vapors from said chamber.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The device of claim 7 in which the vapor extraction port means is positioned to the side of said vent chamber.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
The device of claim 8 in which said chamber is defined by a first pair of parallel walls and a second pair of walls in converging relationship with each other, said second pair of walls being perpendicular to said first pair of walls.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
The device of claim 9 further comprising tamping means positioned in said chamber, said tamping means including an actuable tamping rod, said rod being positioned adjacent to the interior surface of said pair of converging walls.