Apparatus for recovery of silver from spent photographic solutions

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR THE RECOVERY OF SILVER VALUES FROM SPENT PHOTOGRAPHIC SOLUTIONS CONTAINING SILVER IN SOLUTION HAVING A VESSEL DIVIDED INTO THREE SUPERIMPOSED SECTIONS, LOWER, CENTRAL, AND UPPER, THE CENTRAL SECTION BEING SEPARATED FROM THE OTHERS BY PERFORATED DIVIDERS AND HAVING THE FREE SPACE THEREBETWEEN SUBSTANTIALLY FILLED WITH A FLUID PERMEABLE FREE METAL CONTAINING MEDIUM,SAID METAL BEING ABOVE SILVER IN THE ELECTROMOTIVE SERIES, AN OUTLET DUCT LEADING FROM THE UPPER SECTION, A PIPE COMMUNICATING WITH THE LOWER AND UPPER SECTIONS ONLY, SAID PIPE EXTENDING INTO SAID UPPER SECTION HAVING AN UNIMPEDED DUSCHARGE OUTLET AT A LEVEL ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID OUTLET DUCT WHEREBY TO PERMIT FREE FLOW OF FLUID OUT OF SAID PIPE WHEN THE FLUID PERMEABLE MEDIUM BECOMES CLOGGED, AND A COVER REMOVABLY SECURED TO THE UPPER OPEN END OF SAID VESSEL, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES INLET MEANS PIERCING THE COVER INCLUDING A NIPPLE HAVING A FLANGE AT ITS UPPER END SHOULDERED AGAINST SAID COVER, A TUBULAR PORTION HAVING AN EXTERNAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA LESS THAN THE INTERNAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID PIPE, THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF SAID TUBULAR PORTION BEING DISPOSED AT A POINT BELOW SAID DISCHARGE OUTLET IN SAID PIPE AND ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID OUTLET DUCT.