Abstract: A device for separating clean litter from soiled litter comprising a receptacle with one inlet and two discharge outlets. Soiled animal litter enters the receptacle through the inlet and clean litter is separated out from the soiled litter. When the container is tilted in a first direction, feces exit the container through the first outlet and clean litter is retained in the receptacle. When the container is tilted in a second direction, clean litter exits the container through the second outlet and clean litter is retained in the receptacle.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a rotor element for use with a rotor and a rotor featuring said elements. The rotor is used in a screening apparatus of the pulp and paper industry. The rotor element (10) has two longitudinal edges, a first, so-called leading edge (12) and a second, so-called trailing edge (14); two opposite ends, a first end and a second end; and a surface (18) arranged between said first edge (12) and said second edge (14), said surface (18) being divided by means of a borderline (20) into a first, so called leading surface (22) having its origin at said first edge (12), and a second, so called trailing surface (24) having its origin at said second edge (14), where a distance (W1) between said borderline (20) and said first edge (12) is smaller at said first end of said rotor element (10) than at the second end of said rotor element (10).

Abstract: A plan sifter for sifting or sieving, flour-like or granular products, includes at least one compartment. Each sifting compartment has a dedicated drive, so that the base surface available can be better utilized, and the sifting capacity can be better adjusted to actual needs.

Abstract: A streamer trap assembly for collecting streamers from a flow of polymer pellets includes a housing comprising an inlet, an outlet, and an opening bounded by a sealing surface; and a streamer trap positioned in the housing through the opening. The streamer trap comprises a screen sized to collect the streamers at the screen and to allow the polymer pellets to pass through the screen, a guide positioned to guide the flow of polymer pellets from the inlet to the screen and from the screen to the outlet, and a cover adapted to engage the sealing surface and cover the opening.

Abstract: A filtering flow box for receiving a supply of plastic pellets from a bottom-unloading tower silo and removing undesirable plastic strands (“angel hair”) from the pellets before they are processed for manufacturing. The box has an angled entry wall for laterally channeling pellets to an angled filter. The pellets pass through the filter and angel hair collects on the filter's upstream surface. The filter can be removed from the box at an angle having a vertical component for cleaning, thus allowing any pellets that have accumulated on top of the filter to fall back into the box.

Abstract: A storage and dispensing cart for receiving, storing, and dispensing charcoal briquettes includes a storage bin member, a storage compartment member and a screening assembly. The screening assembly is disposed within the storage bin member at a lower end to provide a continuous screening of the charcoal dust and small particles, or fines, that are developed when the charcoal briquettes move against each other during filling of the storage bin member or when the briquettes are dispensed. The screening assembly is comprised of a screen mesh that allows the fines and dust to fall to a lower collection chute that gathers and directs the fines and dust into a collection pan that forms a collection repository. The collection pan is removable from the cart so the fines and dusts can be discarded without removing all of the briquettes from the storage bin member.

Abstract: A planting board system is provided for use in performing germination testing or planting within the flat of a seed type. The planting board system includes a housing, a lower panel disposed in the housing, said lower panel having a plurality of apertures disposed within the lower panel in a predetermined, spaced apart relationship and an upper panel disposed within the housing, the upper panel at least partially overlapping the lower panel and being moveable within the housing relative to the lower panel between first and second positions.

Abstract: A cat litter box apparatus for accommodating a plurality of cats, the apparatus controlling odors by providing a lid and two doors which return to a closed position automatically. The apparatus further provides either manual screening of litter via the sieved half-round ended scoop, or semi automatic litter screening via temporary placement of the scoop within either end of the box. The box is selectively tilted and supported in a chosen tilted position. The box further comprises wheels and an omnidirectional caster.

Abstract: A security tip jar includes a vessel body and a removable base. The vessel body defines an open top designed for receiving a gratuity. The removable base forms a closed bottom of the vessel body. An electronic sensor is located in the removable base, and is adapted for sensing a disturbance of the vessel body. A protective cover is located over the electronic sensor. An alarm is operatively connected to the electronic sensor, and is adapted for activation upon disturbance of the vessel body.

Abstract: A pet litter containment and cleaning system and methods of using a pet litter containment and cleaning system are described. The pet litter system comprises a pan module and removably attached processor module. Soiled pet litter is conveniently processed by rotating a system of the invention, screening and separating soiled litter from clean litter. Pet waste and soiled litter are collected in bags which may be discarded when full. Systems of the invention may be used with both absorbent and nonabsorbent litters. Systems of the invention minimize human contact with soiled pet litter and pet waste and simplify the care of domestic pets.

Abstract: A tip jar having an open necked portion and a cylindrical body portion with an upper and a lower separable section for separating paper currency from coins. The upper separable section has a centered conical portion with its peripheral base attached to the wall of the upper separable section and has peripheral coin receiving apertures alternating with raised coin deflectors adjacent the wall. The lower separable section has a closed bottom. The lower section, the upper section, and the neck portion are connected together by threading regions. The outer surface of the necked portion has an insert window guide for insertion of an advertisement sheet including a centered oval thumb slide opening to facilitate the removal of the sheet. A plurality of light emitting diodes can be positioned proximate the bottom of the jar and energized by battery to attract attention.

Abstract: A waste recovery station for a beach cleaner for recovering waste raked up by a beach cleaner. A waste recovery station for a beach cleaner includes a pair of station members arranged in parallel with each other through a required spacing. Each station member is provided with a pair of support posts with a foot such as, for example, a circular or square flat plate fixed to a lower end of each support post and is also provided with a guide member fixed to upper ends of the support posts. In the guide member, a longitudinally intermediate portion is formed as a horizontal portion and front and rear end sides are formed as slant portions and are bent downwardly at an obtuse angle. The beach cleaner A is lifted by the guide members while passing between the station members, whereby waste caught on rakes is allowed to drop onto the sand.

Abstract: Apparatus for removing debris from a fluidized sand bed. One or more troughs extend radially from a vertical shaft. Associated with each trough is a perforated chute. The apparatus is placed into the fluidized bed of sand, and rotated. As the apparatus rotates, the perforated chute sifts, or separates, debris from the fluidized sand. That is, the fluidized sand flows through the perforations, but the debris does not. When the apparatus is removed from the fluidized bed, the debris tumbles down the chute, into the troughs, if it has not already done so, and is captured.

Abstract: In a preferred embodiment, a system for collecting and segregating particulate food debris from the whole pieces in a packaged food product, and a system to facilitate and ease the opening of the sealed plastic/cellophane/other packaging material within an outer cardboard food box, including: an inner bag; a system of small filter holes perforating the bottom of the inner bag; an outer bag adhered thereon; a system where the composite inner and outer bags are adhered to the inside and toward the top of the cardboard box, in order to maintain a food debris collection pocket at the base of the two-bag system; two gripping devices, of a style/type to include but not limited to, a pull-ring or pull-tab; and a system for affixing the gripping devices directly opposite one another on the outside and at the top of the sealed composite double-bag packaging material, to facilitate breaking the plastic packaging system's hermetic seal.

Abstract: A manual sifter including a rotor overlying a sifter screen and rotatable in response to longitudinal reciprocation of a drive arm engaging a crank wheel fixed to the rotor. The drive arm includes a projecting pin engaged within an elongated slot of the crank wheel, the drive arm having a cam edge thereon engage with the crank wheel to vary the torque applied to the rotation of the crank wheel as the arm reciprocates.

Abstract: Embodiments of a pet litter cabinet and methods of litter area control are shown and described. Each embodiment includes a cabinet-style enclosure with a door allowing access to a plurality of removable litter drawers. The drawers are adapted to be interchangable inside the cabinet and each drawer includes a screened or perforated bottom and a slide for temporarily covering the bottom openings. To clean the litter area, the cabinet door is opened and top drawer slide is pulled to uncover the bottom opening of the top drawer. This allows clean, loose granules of adsorbent to fall into the bottom drawer, leaving the dirty clumps and waste behind in the top drawer. The clumps and waste are then emptied from the top drawer, and the two drawers are switched in position inside the cabinet.

Abstract: A sifting litter-box utilizing two identical litter trays(8a,8b), each with sieve openings(26a,26b) integrated into one sidewall(18a,18b). The trays are nested so that their respective integrated sieve openings(26a,26b) are on diametrically opposed sides of the nested pair of trays, thereby the backwall(22b) of the lower tray(8b) closes off the sieve openings(26a) of the upper tray(8a) when nested one atop the other. The litter(34) occupying only the top tray(8a) is, after use, sifted into the bottom tray(8b) by lifting the top tray(8a) and tilting its contents toward its sieve-wall(18a) allowing the reusable litter to pass through its sieve openings(26a) and form a static pile of sifted reusable litter(34) at the backwall(22b) of the bottom tray(8b). Feces and urine clumps(38) are retained in the top tray(8a) which in then emptied.

Abstract: A drum for the storage and transportation of particulate materials aids in the removal of fine particles and dust from the particulate material during transport by the use of a screen arrangement and trap in the bottom of the drum.

Abstract: A pet litter box having a built in filter comprising a base portion which has a litter receiving area and a cover portion which has a screen member attached thereto, the screen member extending below the underside of the cover and being spaced therefrom to define a waste receiving pocket between the underside of the cover and the screening member. When it is desired to clean the litter box, the cover is placed on the base and the full assembly is rotated such that the used litter will enter the waste receiving pocket with the screen member filtering any clumping and/or solid material therefrom while permitting passage of the non used litter material back to the litter receiving area of the base portion; the cover may then be removed and the used litter discarded.

Abstract: A mesh screen comprising a pair of rings open at each end. A piece of mesh material is releasably clamped between the rings. The inner face of one cylindrical ring is provided with a circumferential groove and a circumferential flange projecting in the same direction as the mouth of the groove. The inner face of the other cylindrical ring is provided with a circumferential flange which is adapted to mate with the circumferential flange of the first cylindrical ring so that the mesh material may be interposed between the flanges, and the free edge of the circumferential flange of the other cylindrical ring is accommodated within the groove.

Abstract: A generally rectangular upwardly opening receptacle is constructed of plastic and includes side and end walls incorporating transversely thickened zones thereof in horizontal registry with each other and defining a reinforcing belt extending peripherally about said receptacle along lower portions of the side and end walls thereof. The side and end wall portions disposed beneath the reinforcing belt are inwardly offset relative to the remaining upper portions of the side and end walls and define a horizontal inwardly projecting shelf extending about the interior of the receptacle upon which a grid assembly is supported, the grid assembly incorporating a first weight supporting lower first grid and a second finer grid overlying and supported from the coarse grid.

Abstract: An asphaltic mix batch apparatus which comprises a tower which mounts a number of aggregate storage bins, a weigh hopper underlying the storage bins, and a pugmill underlying the weigh hopper. Also, a screen assembly is positioned above the bins for segregating the aggregate by size, and such that the initial bin receives the more fine aggregate and the subsequent bins receive the more coarse aggregate. The initial bin has a relatively wide open top, and it receives a relatively broad gradation of the aggregate from its front to its back, with the front being disproportionately fine and the back being disproportionately coarse. A divider plate is positioned in the initial bin to prevent the gradation from interfering with the free discharge of the aggregate when the associated discharge port is opened, and to thereby provide a more uniform gradation being withdrawn through the discharge port.

Abstract: A package for holding frangible particulate material, such as breakfast cereal. The package is designed to separate the crumbs or fines from the larger or unbroken and more palatable particles of cereal and to trap the crumbs so they will not recombine with the more edible portion of the cereal when the container is upended to pour the cereal into a bowl. The package has a partition member insert comprised of an apertured screening section and at least one imperforate ramp section inclined towards the screening section. The screening and ramp sections are supported above the bottom of the container to provide for sifting of the crumbs through the screening section, while the package is in its normal upright position, and to allow the crumbs to gravitate into the trapping space, defined by the imperforate ramp section, the bottom closure and the surrounding walls, when the package is tilted during pouring.

Abstract: There is provided a combination storage container for flour and system for sifting flour which operate independently to enable dispensing of select amounts of coarse or sifted flour.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for shaking pieces of breaded food to remove excess breading intermixed therewith and for sifting said breading to recover reusable portions thereof. The breaded pieces of food are placed in a fryer basket which is positioned within a shaker housing, and the housing and the basket are then mechanically shaken to cause excess breading intermixed with the pieces of food to fall onto a screen located below the basket within the housing. The excess breading is sifted by the screen and the reusable portions of the breading are then recovered in a recover pan located therebelow.

Abstract: Small batches of grain for household use are vacuum cleaned in a portable apparatus which can receive vacuum power from the hose of a household vacuum cleaner. Grain requiring cleaning is introduced into the device through a transparent top door and gravitates into a hopper within the apparatus having a restricted grain outlet. When suction is applied through the housing of the apparatus which is vented to atmosphere, air and uncleaned grain are propelled continuously on a circuitous path until the desired clean state of the grain can be observed through the transparent door, at which time another door of the device is opened to permit clean grain to pass into a holding chamber. A waste chamber is also provided in the apparatus and is separated by a screen from the main treatment chamber.

Abstract: A foundry sand reclaiming apparatus is provided in which lumps of used foundry sand are introduced into a vibrating chamber. The lumps abrade each other to produce discrete particles of reusable foundry sand. As the sand builds up in the chamber, the vibratory action moves the sand to an exit opening from which it is discharged from the vibrating chamber. The vibratory conveying action produced during the sand abrading step may be reversed to cause irreducible particles to move toward and be removed from a discharge outlet.