Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
5405-1048 PATENT
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VACUUM DENSIFIER WITH AUGER
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part under 37
C.F.R. ~1.53 of prior Application Serial No. 08/302,377
entitled VACUUM FILL SYSTEM, filed September 8, 1994,
currently pending, which is a file wrapper continuation of
Application Serial No. 08/105,341, filed August 9, 1993,
now abandoned, which is a continuation of Application
Serial No. 07/875,636, filed April 28, 1992, now issued as
U.S. Patent No. 5,234,037, which is a continuation of
Application Serial No. 07/558, 678, filed July 27, 1990, now
abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of Application
Serial No. 07/407,901 filed September 15, 1989, now
abandoned.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a vacuum fill system for
deaerating flowable materials for storage in a container,
and in particular, to a vacuum densifier with auger for
deaerating and compacting flowable materials prior to
filling a container.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Traditional filling processes and containers have long
been encumbered by a simple phenomenon that has exasperated
consumers for decades - settling. Settling, as any
purchaser of a bag of potato chips knows, means the bag is
never completely filled when opened. This occurs due to
the settling of the product inside during its filling and
shipment. This simple settling phenomenon causes
tremendous economic waste each year due to the wasting of
storage space and container materials. This has been
particularly true in the storage, transportation, and
dispensation of flowable materials in semi-bulk quantities
such as grains, chemicals and other bulky substances stored
in flexible, bulk containers, such as those disclosed in
U.S. Patent Nos. 4,143,796 and 4,194,652.
It has long been known that the settling process is
caused by the natural aeration of flowable materials as the
materials are placed inside a container. As the container
is shipped to its final destination, the air is displaced
from the aerated material mixture causing the product to
compact and reduce in volume. Thus, when the container is
opened, the flowable material has settled to the bottom of
the container, i.e. the bag of potato chips is only half
full.
Any process or system, such as the present invention,
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for deaerating the flowable material prior to filling a
container for shipment that allows more of the container to
be filled with product and reduces the excess air results
in an enormous cost savings. Indeed, the shipment of
smaller sized containers using vacuum sealed packages such
as, e.g., vacuum sealed coffee containers, has alleviated
many of the above problems of cost and time.
The present invention substantially eliminates
settling and the inherent problems associated therewith by
deaerating flowable material prior to filling a container
for shipment. Use of the present invention thus allows
more product to be transported in the same size container
than is possible using prior techniques. Thus, by
utilizing all of the container space, the present invention
allows for the far more efficient total use of all of the
container materials and space.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a vacuum fill system
for deaerating flowable materials for storage in a
container, and in particular, to a vacuum densifier with
auger for deaerating and compacting flowable materials
prior to filling a container.
The vacuum densifier with auger of the present
invention generally comprises a tubular container for
holding flowable material oriented with its axis in a
generally horizontal plane: a device for controlling the
flow of the flowable material into the tubular container;
apparatus for creating a vacuum in the tubular container
and returning the chamber to atmospheric pressure
instantaneously thereby compacting the deaerated material:
an auger located inside the tubular container for removing
the compacted flowable material from the tubular container;
and a device for controlling the flow of the compacted
flowable material from the tubular container into a storage
container for shipment.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the
tubular container has a circular cross section. A first
conventional full opening ball or gate valve is located at
the inlet end of the tubular container for controlling the
flow of flowable materials into the tubular container. A
conventional vacuum pump or high vacuum venturi, capable of
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pulling a vacuum of eighteen (18) inches of mercury, is
connected to the tubular container through a series of
valves and vacuum lines.
An auger extends from the inlet end of the container
to the outlet end of. the tubular container. The auger
includes a driver for rotating the auger a predetermined
number of rotations sufficient to move the compacted
material to the outlet end of the tubular container.
A second conventional full opening ball or gate valve
is located at the outlet end of the tubular container for
controlling the flow of compacted flowable material into
the storage container.
In this operation of the vacuum densifier, flowable
material is fed into the horizontal tubular container. A
vacuum is created through the use of a plurality of valves
spaced along the top of the tubular container and a
conventional vacuum pump or high vacuum venturi. After
sufficient deaeration of the flowable material is achieved,
the vacuum is released and the interior of the container is
returned to atmospheric pressure substantially
instantaneously causing the material to compact in the
bottom to the horizontal tubular container. The auger
rotates through a predetermined number of rotations which
move the compacted flowable material to the outlet of the
tubular container and into a container for shipment.
Y
In alternative embodiments, the tubular container may
be an enclosed trough having a "U" shaped cross section.
By deaerating and compacting the flowable material
before filling the container, through the use of the vacuum
densifier and auger, the flowable material is presettled
and will not settle during shipment. Thus, the present
invention allows for more complete utilization of the
flexible container, eliminating wasted space and allowing
for the shipment of more material without any increase in
the container volume.
2~~7~~'~
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of the invention may be
had by reference to the following Detailed Description when
taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings, in
which:
FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of the vacuum densifier
with auger for deaerating and compacting flowable materials
prior to deaerating and compacting the flowable material:
and
FIGURE 2 is a sectional of view of the vacuum
densifier with auger for deaerating and compacting flowable
materials after deaerating and compacting the flowable
material prior to filling shipping containers.
FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view of the tubular
container with a circular cross section.
FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of the tubular
container with a "U" shaped cross section.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGURE 1, the present invention comprises
a vacuum densifier with auger 10 for deaerating and
compacting flowable materials. In the preferred embodiment
of the invention, a tubular container 20 for receiving
flowable material has a generally horizontal axis. An
inlet 23 including a conventional full opening ball or gate
valve 22 and valve actuator 24 is located at the inlet end
of the tubular container 20 for controlling the flow of
flowable materials into the tubular container. A
l0 conventional vacuum pump 30 or high vacuum venturi, capable
of pulling a vacuum of eighteen (18) inches of mercury, for
deaerating the flowable materials is connected to the
tubular container through a series of valves 32 and 34 and
vacuum lines 36. Also connected to the vacuum line 36 is
a conventional pressure switch 38, which is utilized to
control the closing of the valves 32 and 34.
An auger 40 extends from the inlet end 21 of the
tubular container 20 to the outlet end 29 of the tubular
container 20. The auger includes a driver 42 for rotating
the auger a predetermined number of rotations equal to the
number of flights 46 on the auger 40.
A plurality of quick opening butterfly or ball type
valves 52, 54 and 56 and a valve actuator 58 are located on
the top of the tubular container 20. The valves 52, 54 and
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56 are vented to atmosphere.
An outlet 25 including a conventional full opening
ball or gate valve 26 and valve actuator 28 is located at
the outlet end 29 of tubular container 20 for controlling
the flow of compacted flowable material out of tubular
container 20 into the storage container.
Operation of the vacuum densifier is simple and easy.
In FIGURE 1 there is illustrated the filling and compaction
of flowable material in the tubular chamber 20. Valves 22
and 26 are open. Flowable material 100 is contained within
a conventional holding/storage device 60, such as a hopper,
which is connected to inlet valve 22. Flowable material
100 is fed from hopper 60 through inlet valve 22 into
tubular container 20 while auger 40 is rotated through a
predetermined number of revolutions equal to the number of
flights 46 on the auger 40. Alternatively, the flow of
flowable material into the tubular container 20 may be
controlled by weight. When the predetermined number of
rotations or weight is reached, inlet valve 22 and outlet
valve 26 automatically close preventing the flow of
additional flowable material 100 into or out of the tubular
container 20.
After completion of the feeding and auger rotation
steps, the tubular container is generally filled with
uncompacted, aerated flowable material 100 as depicted by
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the stippling in FIGURE 1. Valves 52, 54 and 56 which vent
to the atmosphere are closed. Valves 32 and 34 are opened
and vacuum pump 30 draws a vacuum in tubular container 20
to a predetermined level, for example, 18 inches of
mercury.
Once the vacuum reaches the necessary level to achieve
the desired deaeration of the flowable material 100, valves
52, 54 and 56 are opened immediately. In the preferred
embodiment the valves 52, 54 and 56 are quick opening ball
or butterfly valves. Valves 52, 54 and 56 must be opened
suddenly and fully in order to get a high impact on the
material 100 from the entering air. The impact of the
entering air compresses and compacts the flowable material
300. BAs the pressure in the tubular container 20
increases, the volume of flowable material 100 decreases in
such a way that increasing pressure waves propagate at
faster speeds, thereby causing a shock wave to form from
the coalescence of many weaker pressure waves. When the
wave reaches the bottom of the tubular container 20 a
reflected wave is generated which propagates up through the
flowable material 100 causing additional compaction. The
action of these waves is non-isotropic and irreversible to
such an extent that except for small elastic recovery, most
of the density increase caused by the wave motion is
retained.
r~
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Turning to FIGURE 2, therein is illustrated by the
stippling, flowable material 110 has been deaerated and
compacted and that the volume of material 100 ( in FIGURE 1)
is now significantly less than when first introduced into
the tubular container 20.
Subsequently, valve 26 is opened and auger 40 is
rotated through a predetermined number of rotations equal
to the number of flights 46 on the auger. The compacted,
deaerated flowable material 110 is fed out through outlet
valve 26 into the desired container.
Concurrently with discharge of the compacted deaerated
material 110 valve 22 is opened and uncompacted material
100 is fed into the tubular chamber 20 beginning a new
cycle.
Turning to FIGURE 3, therein is illustrated the
preferred embodiment for the tubular container having a
circular cross section. It is understood that other cross
sectional configurations are feasible. In an alternative
embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 4, the tubular container
is illustrated having a "U" shaped cross section.
Although not shown, it should be understood that the
operation of the vacuum densifier with auger system may be
performed either manually or automatically through the use
of conventional electronic circuitry.
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Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has
been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described
in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be
understood that the invention is not limited to the
embodiment disclosed but is capable of numerous
modifications without departing from the scope of the
invention as claimed.
