Dispensing apparatus with discharge assistant and rotary dispensing valve

• US 4,327,845 A
• Filed: 03/31/1980
• Issued: 05/04/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shawmut Capital Corporation
• Original Assignee: Beatrice Foods Company (Conagra Brands, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schwitters, Stephen W., Baillie, William R., Keyes, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weidenfeld, Gil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Silverberg, Fred A.
• Application Number:
  US06/135,491
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 222/207, 222/335, 222/340, 222/387, 222/449, 222/452, 222/469, 222/481, 184/105 A, 239/329, 239/331, 137/625.22, 137/625.47
• US Class Current: 222/340
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 11/021 of the piston type G01F11/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86871 Plug

Abstract

An apparatus for dispensing measured quantities of viscous material from a pressurized supply source including a measuring cylinder having a spring loaded piston therein and a rotary valve for alternately communicating the measuring cylinder with the supply source and with a discharge outlet. The rotary valve member has axially spaced O-ring seals to inhibit leakage from the ends of the valve member and an inlet seal for sealing against leakage from the pressurized inlet passage in a direction circumferentially of the rotary valve member.

Claims

1. A dispensing apparatus for dispensing measured quantities of material from a pressurized supply source, the dispensing apparatus comprising a housing including a measuring cylinder having an end wall at one end and open at its other end and a valve cylinder extending crosswise of said one end of said measuring cylinder and open at both ends, a piston slidable in said measuring cylinder, a cap mounted on said open other end of the measuring cylinder, and a coil compression spring interposed between the cap and the piston yieldably urging said piston toward said one end of the measuring cylinder, said one end wall of said measuring cylinder having cylinder passage means therein communicating said measuring cylinder with said valve cylinder, said valve cylinder having an inlet passage therein and a discharge passage therein, means connecting said inlet passage with said supply source, a rotary valve member in said valve cylinder having transfer passage means therein operative in a first rotary position of the valve member to communicate the inlet passage with the cylinder passage means to pass material from the inlet passage to the cylinder passage means and operative in a second rotary position of the valve member to communicate the cylinder passage means with the discharge passage, said valve member having a flange on one end engageable with one end of the valve cylinder and a shaft extending axially from its other end, an operating handle for moving the valve member between said first and second positions, said handle having a hub at one end and means for non-slidably and non-rotatably connecting the hub to said shaft on the valve member, said hub having an annular skirt portion extending toward the valve cylinder and terminating in an end face engageable with the other end of the valve cylinder, and a coil type torsion spring disposed within said skirt portion and having one end anchored to the hub and the other end anchored on the valve cylinder for yieldably urging the rotary valve member to one of said positions thereof.

2. A dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cylinder passage means includes first and second cylinder passages spaced apart in a direction axially of the valve cylinder, said transfer passage means includes first and second transfer passages, said first transfer passage being arranged to communicate the inlet passage with the first cylinder passage in said first rotary position of the valve member and said second transfer passage being arranged to communicate the second cylinder passage with the outlet passage in said second rotary position of the valve member.

3. A dispensing apparatus according to claim 2 including first and second end O-rings engaging the valve cylinder axially outwardly of said first and second cylinder passages and an intermediate O-ring engaging the valve cylinder intermediate said first and second cylinder passages.

4. A dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means connecting said inlet passage with said supply source includes a spud slidable into said inlet passage, a resilient inlet passage seal member comprising a tubular resilient body slidable in said inlet passage and having one end shaped to engage the end of said spud and the other end shaped to engage the periphery of the rotary valve member.

5. A dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said piston and said valve member have the same outer diameter, said piston having an O-ring seal disposed in a groove thereon for sealingly engaging the piston cylinder, the valve member having axially spaced O-ring seals disposed in grooves axially outwardly of the transfer passage means for sealingly engaging the valve cylinder at axially spaced locations therealong, the O-ring seals on the valve member and piston member being of the same size.

6. A dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cap has a portion extending into said other end of the measuring cylinder, said piston and said cap and said valve member having the same outer diameter, said piston having an O-ring seal disposed in a groove thereon for sealingly engaging the measuring cylinder, the portion of the cap having an O-ring seal thereon for engaging the measuring cylinder, the O-ring seals on the valve member, and piston member and cap being of the same size, and restricted vent means in the cap for venting the piston cylinder to atmosphere.