Abstract: A process for the recovery of oil from oil-bearing shale and for employing the oil-depleted shale as a combustible heat source. The oil-bearing shale is charged on a traveling grate to form a burden. A bed of oil-depleted shale having uncombusted carbon and hydrocarbons is provided, and those uncombusted materials are combusted to raise the temperature of the bed to above about 1000.degree. F. A reducing atmosphere is passed through the oil-depleted and combusted bed to raise the temperature of the reducing atmosphere. The heated reducing atmosphere is then passed through the burden to raise the temperature of the oil shale to at least 800.degree. F. and to thereby educt oil from the oil shale. In another embodiment, the combusted oil-depleted material is layered onto the oil-bearing and the reducing atmosphere is passed sequentially through the oil-depleted and oil-bearing material.

Abstract: A semi-automatic palletizer is disclosed providing an elevator for positioning pallets below an arranging table to receive layers of arranged articles. As each layer is positioned on a pallet supported by the elevator, the elevator lowers to position the uppermost layer thereon, immediately below the arranging table. A power feed mechanism is provided to automatically position empty pallets on the elevator and for ejecting loaded pallets from the elevator. The feed mechanism includes a fork-type lift which is extended into the pallet, adjacent to the bottommost pallet at the pallet supply position, and which thereafter raises such pallet and all pallets above, clear of the bottom pallet at the supply position. A pusher pushes an empty pallet from the supply position onto the elevator and causes removal of a loaded pallet as the empty pallet is supplied. After retraction of the pusher, the fork lift mechanism lowers the remaining pallets to the supply platform.

Abstract: An ambient air intake system for a dry cleaner is disclosed which draws room air through the access opening when the door to the machine is open and vents this air to an outlet without passing it through the interior tubs which contain residual solvent vapor laden air. To accomplish this an air duct is interposed between the access opening of the cabinet housing the dry cleaner and the open end of the interior tubs, with the duct effectively sealed about the periphery of the cabinet opening and the open end of the outer tub and having aligned openings therethrough to define a passageway through which the clothes are inserted and removed. The duct is connected to an electrically actuated normally closed valve which in turn is connected to the inlet of a motor driven fan, the outlet side of which leads to an exhaust pipe.