Liquid clarifying apparatus

Claim 1

LIQUID CLARIFYING APPARATUS COMPRISING A LIQUID HOLDING TANK INCLUDING A BOTTOM WALL, EFFLUENT DISCHARGE MEANS INCLUDING A CENTRAL EFFLUENT OVERFLOW LAUNDER SUPPORTED AT THE CENTRAL UPPER PORTION OF THE TANK FOR REMOVING CLARIFIED LIQUID FROM THE TANK, FLOW DISTRIBUTING MEANS DISPOSED AT THE LOWER CENTRAL PORTION OF THE TANK AND INCLUDING DISTRIBUTING ARM MEANS OF TUBULAR CONSTRUCTION, INFLUENT CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID DISTRIBUTING ARM MEANS FOR FEEDING INFLUENT TURBID LIQUID THEREINTO, SAID DISTRIBUTING ARM MEANS INCLUDING FLOW DISCHARGE MEANS DISPOSED AT A POSITION SPACED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE TANK FOR FEEDING TURBID LIQUID INTO THE TANK ALONG THE BOTTOM WALL PORTION THEREOF, AT POSITIONS SPACED OUTWARDLY OF THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE TANK AND NEAR THE PERIPHERY OF THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE TANK, AND SCUM REMOVAL MEANS, SAID SCUM REMOVAL MEANS INCLUDING A SCUM RETAINING BAFFLE DISPOSED CONCENTRIC TO THE EFFLUENT OVERFLOW LAUNDER AND OUTWARDLY THEREOF AND DISPOSED SO AS TO BE NORMALLY POSITIONED AT AN ELEVATION TO EXTEND ABOVE AND BELOW THE LIQUID SURFACE AS DETERMINED BY THE OVERFLOW LAUNDER, A SCUM RECEIVING MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID SCUM RETAINING BAFFLE, SCUM SKIMMER MEANS INCLUDING A BLADE MEANS, MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID SKIMMER MEANS FOR NORMALLY ROTATING THE SKIMMER MEANS DURING OPERATION OF THE APPARATUS, SAID SCUM RECEIVING MEANS BEING STATIONARY, AND SAID SCUM SKIMMER MEANS MOVING INTO OPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID SCUM RECEIVING MEANS FOR FORCING SCUM ADJACENT SAID SCUM RETAINING BAFFLE INTO OPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID SCUM RECEIVING MEANS.