# US 5,699,918 A · Screen for vibrating material sorting apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,699,918 A - Document ID: US5699918A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/687,719 - Filed: 1996-07-26 - Granted: 1997-12-23 - Earliest claimed: 1996-07-26 - Assignees: Corrosion Engineering, Inc. - Inventors: Donald C. Dunn - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5699918A ## CPC - B07B 1/4645: {Screening surfaces built up of modular elements} - B07B 1/469: {Perforated sheet-like material} - B07B: SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS BY SIEVING, SCREENING, SIFTING OR BY USING GAS CURRENTS; SEPARATING BY OTHER DRY METHODS APPLICABLE TO BULK MATERIAL, e.g. LOOSE ARTICLES FIT TO BE HANDLED LIKE BULK MATERIAL (wet separating processes, sorting by processes using fluent material in the same way as liquid B03; combinations of dry separating apparatus with wet separating apparatus B03B; using liquids B03B, B03D; sorting by magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges or vortex apparatus for carrying out physical processes B04; hand sorting, postal sorting, sorting by switching or other devices actuated in response to detection or measurement of some feature of articles or samples of material B07C) ## Abstract A screen for a vibrating material sorting apparatus of the type used to sort material in mining operations and the like has a plurality of rows and columns of trapezoidal apertures formed through it. The apertures are oriented so that the narrowest end first encounters material moving down the screen. The apertures are further tapered in cross section, and flare outwardly from the top surface of the screen to the bottom surface. In addition, each of the apertures slopes at an angle which is selected to be the same as the degree of incline of the screen when it is mounted in a vibrating material sorting apparatus. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A screen for a vibrating material sorting apparatus including in combination: a main body member having an upper planar surface and a lower surface for mounting in a material sorting apparatus, said main body member having a plurality of elongated trapezoidal apertures formed therethrough between said upper and lower surfaces for permitting material of a predetermined size determined by the dimensions of said apertures to pass therethrough from said upper surface of said main body member. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The combination according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of elongated trapezoidal apertures comprise apertures of equal size. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The combination according to claim 2 wherein said trapezoidal apertures are aligned in a direction to first contact material moving across said screen from the narrowest end of said apertures to the widest end thereof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The combination according to claim 3 wherein said plurality of elongated trapezoidal apertures are arranged in rows and columns. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The combination according to claim 4 wherein said trapezoidal apertures are formed through said main body member at a predetermined angle to the plane of said upper surface. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The combination according to claim 5 wherein said predetermined angle of said elongated trapezoidal apertures is selected to be substantially the same as the angle at which said screen is designed for mounting in a vibrating material sorting apparatus. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The combination according to claim 6 wherein the sides of said trapezoidal apertures formed through said main body member are divergent so that the trapezoidal apertures in said upper surface are smaller than the corresponding trapezoidal apertures in said lower surface of said main body member. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The combination according to claim 7 wherein said lower surface of said main body member is a planar surface parallel to the planar surface of said upper body member. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The combination according to claim 8 wherein said main body member is made of reinforced rubber-like material. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The combination according to claim 9 wherein said main body member comprises a modular component of a screen consisting of a plurality of said main body members mounted on a frame. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The combination according to claim 1 wherein all of said trapezoidal apertures are oriented in the same direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The combination according to claim 11 wherein said apertures formed through said main body member have outwardly flaring side walls extending from said upper surface of said main body member to said lower surface of said main body member. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The combination according to claim 1 wherein said trapezoidal apertures are formed through said main body member at a predetermined angle to the plane of said upper surface. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The combination according to claim 13 wherein said predetermined angle of said elongated trapezoidal apertures is selected to be substantially the same as the angle at which said screen is designed for mounting in a vibrating material sorting apparatus. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The combination according to claim 1 wherein the sides of said trapezoidal apertures formed through said main body member are divergent so that the trapezoidal apertures in said upper surface are smaller than the corresponding trapezoidal apertures in said lower surface of said main body member. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The combination according to claim 15 wherein said trapezoidal apertures are aligned in a direction to first contact material moving across said screen from the narrowest end of said apertures to the widest end thereof. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The combination according to claim 16 wherein said trapezoidal apertures are formed through said main body member at a predetermined angle to the plane of said upper surface. ### Claim 18 (depends on 3) The combination according to claim 3 wherein said plurality of elongated trapezoidal apertures are arranged in rows and columns. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The combination according to claim 18 wherein said trapezoidal apertures are aligned in a direction to first contact material moving across said screen from the narrowest end of said apertures to the widest end thereof. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The combination according to claim 1 wherein said trapezoidal apertures are aligned in a direction to first contact material moving across said screen from the narrowest end of said apertures to the widest end thereof.