Automatic fluid dispensing system

• US 3,891,123 A
• Filed: 11/27/1973
• Issued: 06/24/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Donald Blackburn
• Original Assignee: Donald Blackburn
• Inventors: Blackburn, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Martin, Larry H.
• Application Number:
  US05/419,476
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 137/255,263,571,624.18 68/17R,27,207 222/56,55,57,64,65,67,68,70,129,132,135,136,137,482
• US Class Current: 222/64
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/22 Content of detergent or additives
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/08 Control circuits or arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/022 in a liquid state D06F39/024 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/4673 Plural tanks or compartments with parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86187 Plural tanks or compartments connected for serial flow

Abstract

A commercial washing system with plural units is provided with a number of different fluids, usually in liquid form, operated by a timer controlled system having a dispenser for each different fluid at each machine unit. A head tank for each fluid controls the quantity of the respective fluid in the related unit dispensers. The system is very simple and avoids prior intermixture of the fluids.

Claims

1. A system for supplying metered quantities of a liquid to a plurality of receiving stations including:

a source of liquid including a holding reservoir;

a head tank, said head tank having an inlet connected to said holding reservoir;

inlet control means for maintaining a predetermined level of liquid in said head tank;

means to insure that said head tank fills only to the predetermined level when the liquid is supplied to said head tank irrespective of the head pressure of the liquid in said holding reservoir;

said insuring means including;

pump means to transfer liquid from said holding reservoir to said head tank; and

means to prevent siphoning of liquid from said holding reservoir to said head tank when said pump means is inactive;

said inlet control means including means to terminate said pump means when the level in said head tank reaches the predetermined level;

a plurality of dispensing tanks;

means connecting each of said dispensing tanks to said head tank to cause the liquid in each of said dispensing tanks to be at the same level as the level of said head tank, each of said dispensing tanks having a predetermined volume of liquid therein in accordance with the size of said dispensing tank and the level of liquid therein;

separate check valve means cooperating with each of said dispensing tanks to prevent back flow of the liquid from any of said dispensing tanks while allowing said head tank to communicate therewith through said connecting means;

individual conduit means connecting each of said dispensing tanks with one of the receiving stations to allow gravity flow of the liquid from said dispensing tank to the receiving station;

separate means to control the flow of liquid through each of said individual conduit means to each of the receiving stations; and

means to activate each of said separate control means when the liquid is to be supplied to the receiving station to which said separate control meAns controls flow of the liquid, said activating means activating each of said separate control means for a sufficient period of time to allow the predetermined volume of liquid within said dispensing tank to flow by gravity through said individual conduit means to the receiving station to which said separate control means controls flow of the liquid from said dispensing tank.

2. The system according to claim 1 in which said activating means includes:

means to supply electrical signals when each of said separate control means is to be activated;

means to actuate each of said separate control means in response to an electrical signal from said supply means; and

said supply means supplying an electrical signal of sufficient duration to cause said actuating means to actuate said separate control means for a sufficient period of time to allow the predetermined volume within said dispensing tank to flow therefrom to the receiving station by gravity.

3. The system according to claim 1 in which said inlet control means comprises a level sensor in said head tank connected in controlling relation with said pump means to terminate said pump means when the level in said head tank reaches the predetermined level.

4. The system according to claim 1 in which each of said dispensing tanks is open to the ambient air.

5. A system for supplying metered quantities of different liquids to a plurality of receiving stations at selected times including:

a plurality of sources of different liquids;

each of said sources of different liquids including a holding reservoir;

a plurality of head tanks;

each of said head tanks having an inlet connected to a different one of said holding reservoirs;

separate inlet control means for each of said head tanks for maintaining a predetermined level of liquid in each of said head tanks;

separate means for each of said head tanks to insure that said head tank fills only to the predetermined level when the liquid is supplied to said head tank irrespective of the head pressure of the liquid in said holding reservoir;

a plurality of dispensing tanks for each of said head tanks;

means connecting each of said head tanks to each of said plurality of dispensing tanks, each of said dispensing tanks having a predetermined volume of liquid therein as determined by the level of liquid in said connected head tank and the size of said dispensing tank;

separate check valve means for each of said dispensing tanks to prevent back flow of liquid from any of said dispensing tanks while allowing said connected head tank to communicate therewith;

individual conduit means connected to each of said dispensing tanks of each of said head tanks, said individual conduit means connecting one of said dispensing tanks of each of said head tanks to the same receiving station with each of said dispensing tanks of each one of said head tanks being connected by said individual conduit means to a different receiving station to allow gravity flow of the liquid from said dispensing tank to the receiving station;

separate means to control the flow of liquid through each of said individual conduit means to the receiving station; and

means to activate each of said separate control means for each of the receiving stations in a predetermined sequence for the same receiving station to cause the flow of a selected quantity of each of the liquids to the same receiving station at a predetermined time relative to when the first of the liquids is supplied to the same receiving station, said activating means activating each of said separate control means for a sufficient period of time to allow the predetermined volume of liquid within said dispensing tank to flow by gravity through said individual conduit means to the receiving station to which said separate control means controls flow of the liquid from said dispensing tank.

6. The system according to claim 5 in which said activating means for each of the receIving stations includes:

means to supply electrical signals at each of the time intervals when one of said separate control means for the same receiving station is to be activated;

means to actuate each of said separate control means for the same receiving station in response to an electrical signal from said supply means;

said supply means supplying an electrical signal of sufficient duration to cause said actuating means to actuate said separate control means for a sufficient period of time to allow the predetermined volume within said dispensing tank to flow therefrom to the receiving station by gravity; and

means to cause said electrical signals from said supply means to be supplied to only one of said actuating means at a time.

7. The system according to claim 6 in which:

said insuring means for each of said head tanks includes pump means to transfer the liquid from said reservoir to said connected head tank; and

said inlet control means for each of said head tanks comprises a level sensor connected in controlling relation with said pump means for said head tank to terminate the operation of said pump means when the level of the liquid in said head tank reaches the predetermined level.

8. The system according to claim 6 in which each of said actuating means includes a time delay relay to cause opening of said separate control means connected to said actuating means for a predetermined period of time sufficient to cause the predetermined volume in said dispensing tank to flow therefrom by gravity to the receiving station.

9. The system according to claim 5 in which:

said insuring means for each of said head tanks includes pump means to transfer the liquid from said reservoir to said connected head tank; and

said inlet control means for each of said head tanks comprises a level sensor connected in controlling relation with said pump means for said head tank to terminate the operation of said pump means when the level of the liquid in said head tank reaches the predetermined level.

10. The system according to claim 5 in which each of said dispensing tanks is open to the ambient air.