Abstract: A food container, comprising: a curved bottom; an opening in the bottom; a track connected to the bottom and adjacent the opening; a door slideable within the track, configured to encompass and occlude the opening in the bottom. When the door is opened, contents contained in the food container are pulled through the opening under the influence of gravity, and out of the food container without the need to rotate the container.

Abstract: The instant disclosure is directed to a valve for a separatory shaker comprises a movable plate wherein at least a portion of the plate is dimensioned and arranged to fit in physical communication with, and be removably attached to a sidewall of a separatory shaker, the plate comprising a first portion which is dimensioned and arranged such that the plate may be positioned in physical communication with and adjacent to the sidewall to obstruct at least a portion of the spout opening, the plate further comprising a second portion having a valve opening there through, the valve opening being dimensioned and arranged within the second portion of the plate such that the plate may be positioned in physical communication with and adjacent to the sidewall to allow fluid communication between the spout and the screening chamber through the spout opening. A method of separating a plurality of particles is also disclosed.

Abstract: A pet litter apparatus has an upper screen to retain litter and debris, a plurality of upper bars, a lower plurality of bars, mechanism for lowering the lower plurality of bars to define spaces for passage of particulate matter between the upper and lower bars, by rotating rods on sprockets to lower the second plurality of bars.

Abstract: In a mineral preparation plant which receives a raw mineral feed and separates the raw mineral feed into a clean mineral and a refuse, an apparatus is provided for use therein. The apparatus retains dilute media which is formed as a by-product of the separation process. The apparatus includes a sump formed in a floor of the mineral preparation plant and configured to receive and retain: (a) dilute media, consisting of finely sized particles of mineral, refuse, media and water, from an underpan of at least one refuse screen and a clean mineral screen, and (b) mineral, refuse and media particles spilled by mineral processing equipment in the mineral preparation plant. The apparatus further includes a pump associated with the sump for pumping the dilute media and the spilled mineral, refuse and media particles received in the sump as a mixture to a media separating device, and a nuclear density gauge and integrated control system for controlling the amount of media fed to the media separating device.

Abstract: In a mineral preparation plant which receives a raw mineral feed and separates the raw mineral feed into a clean mineral and a refuse, an apparatus is provided for use therein. The inventive apparatus retains dilute media which is formed as a by-product of the separation process. The inventive apparatus includes a sump formed in a floor of the mineral preparation plant and configured to receive and retain: (a) dilute media, consisting of finely sized particles of mineral, refuse, media and water, from an underpan of at least one refuse screen and a clean mineral screen, and (b) mineral, refuse and media particles spilled by mineral processing equipment in the mineral preparation plant.

Abstract: In a coal preparation plant which receives a raw coal feed and separates the raw coal into clean coal and refuse, an apparatus is provided for use therein. The inventive apparatus is a combined sump common to the heavy media vessel and heavy media cyclone circuits used for recirculating medium storage for the heavy media vessel circuit and mixing device, referred to as a wing tank, to proportionally combine intermediate sized raw coal feed particles with a slurry of media and water for feeding the heavy media cyclone circuit. The advantage of this combined system is the ability to use a common recirculating media for use in both the heavy media vessel and heavy media cyclone circuits, without sacrificing the ability to have different recirculating gravities for each separating circuit.

Abstract: A particle size classifier in which feed material composed of product and overs moves downwardly through a separator unit by the action of negative pressures created by a first air blower associated with the collection of product and a second air blower associated with the collection of overs. As the feed material moves downwardly, the product and the overs are separated with the product passing from within a screen unit to outside the screen unit and the screen unit preventing passage of the overs. Blowback air, applied to the screen unit from the outside cleans the cylindrical screen unit to permit continued passage of product through the screen unit.

Abstract: A media recovery hopper which lies on a floor permitting spent media and debris to be swept thereinto. The hopper, in the preferred embodiment, is a substantially rectangular box having one of its four side walls shorter than the rest. The media/debris is swept over this shorter side wall while the other walls collect and "queue" the mixture for recovery. The mixture falls through a screen and into a channeling mechanism composed of a series of ridges and valleys. Along each valley are drop-orifices which permit the media/debris mixture to fall therethrough and into an air-stream which carries the mixture to proper collection or sorting mechanism.

Abstract: A screen aperture blinding prevention and liquid overflow prevention and level control apparatus for a knot drainer senses liquid level within the knot drainer and compares the sensed level to a setpoint level. Differences in the two levels generate control signals of appropriate magnitude and direction, and those control signals are transmitted to a valve whose degree of responsiveness and openness is adjusted to change the outflow rate of accepts liquor from the accepts chamber of the rejects separator. In addition, passive level control is provided in the discharge line for establishing accept flooded screen apertures regardless of variations of inflow and outflow rates during operation while active level control to create accept flow rate greater than, less than, or equal to inlet flow rate is provided by the combination of siphonic loop, barometric leg and control. Continuous flow of fiber and liquid through separating screen apertures is appropriately supervised by monitoring accepts chamber pressure.

Abstract: A rotatable wood chip thickness classifying device. The apparatus includes two coaxial, spaced sets of apertured discs, each set defining a drum. The interdisc spacing of each drum is uniform, each drum having a different interdisc spacing from the other drum. For each set of discs, the inside diameter of adjacent discs alternates. Wood chips are fed into the interior of the first drum, this drum having a typical disc interspacing of 2 mm. The common axis of drum rotation is slightly tilted to the horizontal and chips of less than 2 mm fall through the interdisc openings of the first drum. The remainder of the chips pass to the interior of the second drum, typically of 8 mm interdisc spacing. Chips less than 8 mm fall through the interdisc openings of the second drum. The alternation of inside disc diameters, for each drum, yields a chip tumbling effect to thereby inhibit an elongated chip, of a diameter of less than 2 mm for example, from straddling the 2 mm openings and not falling therethrough.

Abstract: A grain cleaner and method for cleaning grain is the subject of the present invention. A single rotatable drum presents a substantially continuous screen surface of increasing mesh size from one end to another with the drum having an inlet end and an outlet end. A plurality of baffles are disposed in spaced apart relationship along the periphery of and along the length of the screen surface of the drum for retarding the flow of material therethrough. Retaining means is provided in the vicinity of the outlet end of the drum for retarding the flow of foreign material fromthe drum while accommodating the eventual passage of foreign material out of the drum. The drum is rotated by any conventional power source.

Abstract: An upwardly pyramidal frame, formed of angularly spaced legs converging to a point, is mountable on a holder that extends about a fill opening of the pressure tank of a blast cleaning system. The frame is so disposed as to break open the end of a bag containing an abrasive media, when the bag is dropped onto the frame, with the break occurring at a location confined to the area of the fill opening. A screen supported upon a shoulder of the holder extends across the opening. At the bottom of the frame, outwardly directed feet on the legs extend into a space between the shoulder on which the screen is supported, and opposing, downwardly facing shoulders. Screws threaded in the feet bear against the peripheral portion of the screen, to clampably engage the feet and the screen against the opposed shoulders. When a screen is to be replaced, the screws are backed off, to loosen the frame and screen and permit their removal and replacement.

Abstract: Method and apparatus in screening a fiber suspension in a pressure screen (10) with an inlet (1) for the fiber suspension and outlets (2, 3) for accept and reject, respectively, a conduit (12, 13) being respectively connected to said outlets, the reject conduit (13) opening to the atmosphere at its end facing away from the reject outlet and being at least partially at a higher level than both inlet (1) and reject outlet (3), the flow through said conduit (13) being measured, the difference between the measured value and a criterion value being determined, and the flow through the reject conduit (13) being changed in response to a function of the difference of the change of the flow through the accept conduit (12) by means of a valve (7) in said accept conduit (12).

Abstract: An improved arc-welding flux recovery device which is compact, contamination-free, and can be economically maintained.

Abstract: An apparatus for sizing or separating different types of particulate material such as grain, seeds and the like without the need for replacing the sizing screens includes a movable diverter disposed between upper and lower sets of screens. When the diverter is in a first position, material passing through a first sizing screen is directed to the top of a second sizing screen and material which has not passed through the first sizing screen is directed to a discharge pan. When the diverter is in a second position, material which has passed through the first sizing screen is directed toward a discharge pan and material which has not passsed through the first sizing screen is directed toward a second sizing screen.

Abstract: A flour sifter has an upright cylinder within the interior of which a screen is disposed generally transversely to cooperate with an agitator movable over the screen to effect the sifting of flour therethrough. Affixed across the lower end of the cylinder is a first plate which includes a circumferentially-spaced first series of openings successively separated by respectively interposed first panels. A second plate, juxtaposed with the first plate, is movable about an axis extending centrally of the cylinder and includes a circumferentially-spaced second series of openings again successively separated by respectively interposed second panels. Those second openings are alignable with the first openings upon movement of the second plate to one position and are alignable with the first panels upon movement of the second plate to another position.

Abstract: A flow comprising solid particles in a fluid suspension under pressure, typically the rejects flow from a separator, is conducted to a vortex flow chamber. In the vortex flow chamber, added liquid flow is caused to whirl and the reject flow containing contaminants is squeezed towards the axis of the vortex flow chamber and accelerated axially. This prevents plugging of a flow control valve connected to the vortex flow chamber outlet.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for dewatering rubber crumb in which a slurry of rubber crumb and fines overflowed from a feed tank onto a curved screen for dewatering is subjected to a change in direction away from the screen by a fixed baffle in the feed path upstream of the screen and is then redirected by a second, adjustable baffle onto the screen with the second, adjustable baffle also determining the spacing between the screen and the second baffle and thereby restricting flow from the curved screen onto a coated chute which delivers partially dewatered rubber crumb from the apparatus.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for providing continuous pressure filter separation are disclosed. The apparatus includes a chamber with a pair of perforated cylindrical sleeves having filter media and precoat material disposed therebetween. A rotatable wiper blade assembly mounted on a first hollow shaft is longitudinally disposed within the central portion of the chamber. Filtered solid materials are removed through one or more slots in the first hollow shaft which intermittently align with prealigned slots in a pair of concentric hollow shafts mounted within the first hollow shaft.