Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
A method of processing waste material which contains moisture as well as heavier and lighter solid constituents and wherein said lighter constituents include fibers, comprising the steps of (A) subjecting moist waste material to a first comminuting action to thus convert said waste material into heavier particles and lighter particles including lighter fibrous particles of a first size and additional lighter particles of a larger second size; (B) segregating at least the major percentage of heavier particles from lighter particles; (C) subjecting said additional lighter particles to a cuttting action to thus reduce their size to a size not exceeding said first size; and (D) combining the lighter fibrous particles and reduced additional lighter particles and reducing the moisture content of such lighter particles.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
124 words
A method of processing waste material which contains moisture as well as heavier and lighter solid constituents and wherein said lighter constituents include fibers, comprising the steps of (A) subjecting moist waste material to a first comminuting action to thus convert said waste material into heavier particles and lighter particles including lighter fibrous particles of a first size and additional lighter particles of a larger second size; (B) segregating at least the major percentage of heavier particles from lighter particles; (C) subjecting said additional lighter particles to a cuttting action to thus reduce their size to a size not exceeding said first size; and (D) combining the lighter fibrous particles and reduced additional lighter particles and reducing the moisture content of such lighter particles.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step (A) includes reducing waste material to a particle size of at most 100 mm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step (A) includes reducing waste material to a particle size of at most 80 mm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said heavier particles include first heavier particles whose size exceeds and second heavier particles whose size is less than a predetermined size, said step (B) including segregating all first heavier particles from said lighter particles.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the size of said second heavier particles is less than said first size.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising the steps of (E) segregating fibrous particles of said first size and said second heavier particles from said additional lighter particles prior to said step (C), and (F) admixing the fibrous particles of said first size and said second heavier particles to comminuted additional particles subsequent to said step (C).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising the step of (G) segregating said second heavier particles from fibrous particles of said first size and from comminuted additional particles subsequent to said step (D).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step (A) includes crushing and/or breaking the waste material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of (H) equalizing the moisture content of waste material prior to said step (B).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method as defined in claim 9, wherein said step (A) precedes said step (H).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
135 words
Apparatus for processing waste material which contains moisture as well as heavier and lighter solid constituents and wherein said lighter constituents contain fibers, comprising first comminuting means for subjecting moist waste material to a comminuting action and to thus convert such waste material into heavier particles and lighter particles including lighter fibrous particles of a first size and additional lighter particles of a larger second size; means for feeding waste material to said first comminuting means; means for segregating at least the major percentage of heavier particles from said lighter particles; second comminuting cutter means including means for severing said additional lighter particles to thus reduce such additional particles to a size not exceeding said first size; and means for reducing the moisture content of said lighter fibrous particles and said comminuted additional lighter particles.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
135 words
Apparatus for processing waste material which contains moisture as well as heavier and lighter solid constituents and wherein said lighter constituents contain fibers, comprising first comminuting means for subjecting moist waste material to a comminuting action and to thus convert such waste material into heavier particles and lighter particles including lighter fibrous particles of a first size and additional lighter particles of a larger second size; means for feeding waste material to said first comminuting means; means for segregating at least the major percentage of heavier particles from said lighter particles; second comminuting cutter means including means for severing said additional lighter particles to thus reduce such additional particles to a size not exceeding said first size; and means for reducing the moisture content of said lighter fibrous particles and said comminuted additional lighter particles.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
50 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said heavier particles include first heavier particles whose size exceeds and second heavier particles whose size is less than a predetermined size, said segregating means including means for segregating said first heavier particles from said second heavier particles and from said lighter particles.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
64 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 12, further comprising means for segregating said second heavier particles and said lighter fibrous particles from said additional lighter particles intermediate said first comminuting means and said second comminuting means and for admixing said lighter fibrous particles and said second heavier particles to comminuted additional lighter particles intermediate said last mentioned segregating means and said moisture content reducing means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 11, further comprising a sieve downstream of said comminuting means to intercept all comminuted additional particles whose size still exceeds the maximum size of said fibrous particles.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 11, further comprising means for equalizing the moisture content of said particles intermediate said first comminuting means and said segregating means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
15 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein said equalizing means comprises at least one container.