DE-INKING SCREEN

• US 20090000993A1
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emerging Acquisitions LLC
• Original Assignee: Emerging Acquisitions LLC
• Inventors: Visscher, Engel, Austin, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 7,677,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/44.200
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/14 Roller screens
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/15 using corrugated, grooved or ribbed rollers
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 13/003 Separation of articles by differences in their geometrical form or by difference in their physical properties, e.g. elasticity, compressibility, hardness
• CPC Class Codes: D21B 1/028 by dry methods

Abstract

Multiple shafts are aligned along a frame and configured to rotate in a direction causing paper products to move along a separation screen. The shafts are configured with a shape and spacing so that substantially rigid pieces of the paper products move along the screen while non-rigid pieces of the paper products slide down between adjacent shafts. In one embodiment, the screen includes at least one vacuum shaft that has a first set of air input holes configured to suck air and retain the non-rigid paper products. A second set of air output holes are configured to blow out air to dislodge the paper products retained by the input holes.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A material separation system, comprising:

a vacuum member comprising a hollow circular cross-sectional shape and holes that extend through an outer wall;

a divider that inserts into the vacuum member that forms a first chamber; and

a vacuum attached to the first chamber formed in the vacuum member by the divider, the vacuum generating a constant negative air flow through a first set of holes in the vacuum member and configured to suck non-rigid or semi-rigid material down against the vacuum member while more rigid materials continue to move over a top or side portion of the vacuum member.

3. The material separation system according to claim 2 further comprising a conveyance system configured to move the material over a top side of the vacuum member.

4. The material separation screen according to claim 2 wherein the divider forms a second chamber in the vacuum member below the first chamber, the vacuum attached to the second chamber and blowing air into the second chamber and out through the second set of holes.

5. The material separation screen according to claim 4 wherein the divider is sized to provide a relatively tight rigid abutment against an inside surface of the outer wall of the vacuum member.

6. A method for separating materials, comprising:

carrying materials to a separation member having a wall with a circular cross-sectional shape, holes that extend through the wall, and one or more air shafts located inside of center portion;

moving the materials over the separation member; and

sucking air through the holes located adjacent to at least one of the one or more air shafts causing certain flexible materials to be retained against the separation member while other more rigid materials continue to travel out over a top end of the separation member.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising blowing air out through other holes adjacent to one or more of the other air shafts to dislodge the materials retained against the separation member.

8. The method of claim 6 including carrying the material over a disc screen prior to carrying the materials over the separation member, the disc screen configured to separate out certain materials according to size.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the disc screen comprises:

primary discs; and

secondary discs that have a smaller perimeter size than the primary discs, wherein the primary discs are aligned with the secondary discs on adjacent shafts and the secondary discs are aligned with primary discs on the adjacent shafts to form non-linear gaps between the dual diameter discs on adjacent shafts.

10. A material separation apparatus, comprising:

a separation member having a wall with a circular cross-sectional shape and a partially hollow middle section, the separation member further comprising openings extending through at least a portion of the wall; and

a blower coupled to the hollow middle section configured to suck air through the openings in the separation member so that certain relatively flexible materials are at least temporarily retained against the wall of the separation member causing those relatively flexible materials to be pulled downward underneath the separation member while other relatively more rigid materials continue to move out over a front end of the separation member.

11. The material separation apparatus according to claim 10 further comprising a divider located inside the middle section for separating the middle section into at least two different chambers, a first chamber configured to receive an air output flow from the blower and a second chamber configured to receive an air input flow from the blower.

12. The material separation apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the blower sucks air through a first set of holes located adjacent to the first chamber and the blower blows air out through a second set of holes adjacent to the second chamber.

13. The material separation apparatus according to claim 10 further comprising a conveyance system configured to move the relatively flexible and relatively rigid materials over the separation member.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a material separation device including an outer wall having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape, the outer wall having holes that extend along at least one side of the material separation device; and

a vacuum coupled to the material separation device that sucks air through the holes pulling flexible fiber material, or de-inking material, from a top side of the material separation device downward below the material separation device while other more rigid materials continue to move outward in front of the material separation device.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the material separation device includes a second set of holes aligned substantially downward from a bottom side of the outer wall, the vacuum blowing air through the second set of holes promoting the movement of the flexible fiber material, or de-inking material, downward and away from the material separation device.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 including a divider extending inside of the material separation, the divider forming a first chamber inside the material separation device that aligns with the first set of holes and a second chamber inside of the material separation device that aligns with the second set of holes.