Patent ID: 8376143

Claim:
A screen panel center retainer system for use in a vibrating separatory machine and comprising: at least a first center retainer, said at least first center retainer including a center retainer base, said at least first center retainer extending in a flow direction of material being processed by said vibrating separatory machine; a center retainer channel in said at least first center retainer and being defined by upwardly diverging first and second retainer channel legs; a plurality of through bores in said center retainer, each said through bore passing through an apex defined by said first and second retainer channel legs and through said retainer channel base; securement means passing through at least some of said plurality of through bores and being adapted to be engageable with a structural member of the vibrating separatory machine upon which said center retainer base lower surface is engageable; a locking strip including a locking strip top and a locking strip wedging tongue depending from said locking strip top, said locking strip wedging tongue being receivable in said center retainer channel, said locking strip having a locking strip length extending in said material flow direction and further having spaced first and second locking strip ends; at least one cross dam extending across said vibrating separatory machine transversely to said material flow direction; at least one cross dam retainer, said at least one cross dam retainer having a cross dam retainer body with first and second cross dam retainer body ends spaced in said material flow direction; a locking strip end receiving pocket in each said cross dam retainer body end, each said locking strip end receiving pocket being sized to receive one of said ends of one of said locking strips; and an overlying lip on each said cross dam retainer body end and defining said locking strip end receiving pocket in each said cross dam retainer body end.