APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING COMPRESSED GAS AT PROGRAMMED PRESSURE AND VOLUME

• US 3,799,218 A
• Filed: 03/27/1972
• Issued: 03/26/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mayward Clyde Douglass
• Original Assignee: Mayward Clyde Douglass
• Inventors: Douglass, Mayward Clyde
• Primary Examiner(s): Hornsby, Harvey C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Application Number:
  US05/238,242
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 194/3,5 222/2,3 141/18,47,63,66,98,197,382,387,392
• US Class Current: 141/18
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0323 Valves
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/031 Air
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0123 gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/04 Methods for emptying or filling
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0621 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0626 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0636 Flow or movement of content
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0781 Diving equipments
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 5/007 for individual gas tanks or containers, e.g. in vehicles filling with liquid fuel not under pressure, B60S5/02, B67D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/00 Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/001 for gas

Abstract

Apparatus for filling containers such as gas cylinders with predetermined pressure and volume of a compressed gas. The disclosed embodiment of the present apparatus is useful for userpaid vending of refills for air tanks of the kind used for scuba diving apparatus, and provision is made for preprogrammed selection of the appropriate pressure and volume or air to be supplied to a particular air tank. The apparatus includes provision for temporary suspension of tank filling without disrupting the fill vending cycle, for bleeding air pressure from a tank connecting conduit upon completion of a filling operation, and also includes apparatus which prevents unauthorized or improper use of the dispensing apparatus.

Claims

1. Compressed gas dispensing apparatus, comprising conduit means connectable between a source of compressed gas and a gas receiving receptacle;

valve means operatively disposed in said conduit means to selectively control the flow of gas therethrough;

first means operatively responsive to a first variable quantity of the gas dispensed to the gas receiving receptacle to provide a first signal condition when a certain selected amount of said first quantity occurs;

second means operatively responsive to a second variable quantity to provide a second signal condition when a certain selected state of said second quantity occurs;

control circuit means selectively operative to open said valve means to permit gas flow therethrough, said control means being operative in response to said first signal condition from said first means and in response to said second signal from said second means tO close said valve means in response to either of said first and second signals; and

timing means operative to provide an alarm signal condition in response to the occurrence of said first signal condition within a certain period of time after said valve means is opened.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said first means is responsive to the pressure of gas in the receptacle.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein:

said second means is operative in proportion to the volume of gas supplied to the receptacle.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3, wherein:

said second means comprises timing means operative to produce said second signal after said valve means has been open to supply to the receptacle for a predetermined period of time.

5. Apparatus for dispensing compressed gas to a receptacle, comprising:

enabling means operative to select one of a plurality of circuits corresponding to a plurality of different certain pressures and volumes of gas to be dispensed;

payment acceptor means operative in response to the circuit selected by said enabling means to establish a circuit condition indicating required payment of a certain sum of money, said payment acceptor means operative in response to payment of said certain sum to establish a control circuit;

valve means disposed to control the flow of gas from a source of compressed gas to a gas receiving receptacle, said valve means operative in response to establishment of said control circuit to open and permit the dispensing flow of gas to the receptacle;

first means responsive to the pressure of the gas in the receptacle and also responsive to the circuit selected by said payment acceptor means to provide a first signal condition when the pressure exceeds a certain predetermined amount corresponding to said selected circuit;

second means responsive to said selected circuit and operative to provide a second signal condition related to the delivery of a certain predetermined volume of gas as selected by said selected circuit; and

said valve terminating said flow of gas to the receptacle in response to either of said first signal condition or said second signal condition.

6. Apparatus as in claim 5, further comprising:

pressure conduit means extending from said valve means for selective connection to the gas receiving receptacle;

a bleed valve in communication with said pressure conduit means and selectively operable to vent to atmospheric pressure the gas pressure trapped in said conduit means;

bleed valve control circuit connected to said bleed valve and selectively operable in response to the occurrence to either of said first and second signal conditions to open said bleed valve; and

bleed pressure responsive means responsive to the gas pressure in said pressure conduit means and operative to close said bleed valve when the gas pressure in said pressure conduit means falls to a predetermined level.

7. Apparatus as in claim 5, further comprising:

pressure conduit means extending from said valve means for selective connecting to a gas receiving receptacle having a valve which is selectively operable to admit the dispensed gas to the receptacle;

timing means responsive to said control circuit operative concurrent with the initiation of the dispensing flow of gas to define a period of time which is a predetermined amount greater than the amount of time for the gas pressure in said pressure conduit to exceed said predetermined certain pressure when the valve of the receptacle remains closed to prevent gas from entering the receptacle; and

signal means operative to provide a signal in response to operation of said first means during said period of time defined by said timing means.

8. Apparatus as in claim 5, wherein:

said second means comprises dispensing timing means responsive to said selected circuit and operative in response to said control circuit to define a certain period of time which is sufficient to dispense not Substantially more than said certain predetermined volume of gas to the receptacle; and

said dispensing timing means operative to provide said second circuit condition upon reaching said certain period of time.

9. Apparatus as in claim 8, further comprising:

plural ones of said first means each operative to provide said first signal condition responsive to a selected predetermined pressure of the gas in the receptacle;

plural ones of said dispensing timing means each operative to define a certain time period which is sufficient to dispense not substantially more than a selected predetermined volume of gas;

each of said plural circuits of said enabling means connected to one of said plural first means and to one of said plural dispensing timing means;

said enabling means is operative to sense information on a coded member corresponding to a selected one of said plurality of pressures and also corresponding to a selected one of said plurality of volumes; and

said enabling means is operative in response to said sensed information to select the appropriate one of said plural circuits which is connected to the first means and to the dispensing timing means corresponding to said sensed pressure and volume information.

10. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein:

said enabling means comprises a plurality of swiches which are actuated by the presence of a magnetic field, at least some of said plural switches being operatively associated with corresponding ones of said plurality of circuits corresponding to predetermined pressures and volumes of gas to be dispensed;

means disposed to maintain a magnetic field in actuating relation with each of said plural switches;

said coded member comprises magnetic shield means which is selectively positionable between said plural switches and said magnetic field means to prevent the magnetic field from actuating said plural switches; and

the said mangetic shield means having at least one interruption therein to allow the magnetic field to maintain actuating relation with at least one of said plural switches.