Process for smelting metallurgical dusts

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF TREATING METALLURGICAL DUSTS CONTAINING OXIDES OF ZINC, LEAD AND TINN FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ZINC AS A PRODUCT, LEAD-TIN ALLOY AS A SEPARATE PRODUCT AND THE FORMATION OF A DISCARDABLE RESIDUE THAT IS PRACTICALLY DEVOID OF ZINC, LEAD AND TIN METAL VALUES, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF AGGLOMERATING SAID DUSTS IN ADMIXTURE WITH A CARBONACEOUS SUBSTANCE, SODA ASH AND NEEDED MOISTURE, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE AGGLOMERATES THUS OBTAINED AS A COLUMNAR CHARGE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH AN INCLINED SMELTING CHAMBER SUCH THAT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID COLUMNAR CHARGE IS AT AN ANGLE OF AT LEAST 15 BUT NOT EXCEEDING 45* FROM THE VERTICAL, SUBJECTING SAID CHARGE THROUGHOUT IT ENTIRE DOWNWARD TRAVEL IN THE INCLINED SMELTING CHAMBER TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE REDUCTION AND ELIMINATION FROM SAID AGGLOMERATES OF THE VOLATILE ZINC AND NON-VOLATILE LEAD AND TIN FROM THE RESULTING RESIDUAL AGGLOMERATE MATERIAL IS EFFECTED BY COLLECTING AND CHANNELING OF SAID ELIMINATED LEAD AND TIN ALONG THE INFERIOR WALL OF SAID INCLINED SMELTING CHAMBER BEFORE THE GGLOMERATES IN SAID COLUMNAR CHARGE REACH THE BOTTOM OIF SAID INCLINED CHAMBER, WITHDRAWING THE ELIMINATED VOLATILE ZINC AS VAPORS FROM OVERHEAD, CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGING THE RESIDUAL AGGLOMERATE MATERIAL PRACTICALLY DEVOID OF ZINC, LEAD AND TIN VALUES AS A DISCARDABLE RESIDUE FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID INCLINED SMELTING CHAMBER AND SEPARATELY BUT SIMULTANEOUSLY COLLECTING THE ELIMINATED LEAD AND TIN FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID INCLINED SMELTING CHAMBER AS MOLTEN LEADTIN ALLOY PRODUCT.