Today in 1982, US Patent 4361080 A was issued, an invention of David K. Smith, Nigel Harlow, and Samuel W. Maxfield, for their “Floor For Lautering Vessels.” Here’s the Abstract:

Disclosed is a real floor for a lauter tun comprising a plurality of elongated linear troughs, each trough extending unobstructed across the bottom of the vessel and each forming a relatively shallow upward opening V-shape. The elements making up the floor are shaped to provide the lauter tun floor with a circular profile.