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Vacuum pneumatic conveying apparatus and method for transferring food products

  • US 4,394,259 A
  • Filed: 10/27/1981
  • Issued: 07/19/1983
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1981
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A vacuum pneumatic conveying apparatus utilized to convey food products, such as to convey fish from a fishing boat to a fish tender or to a processing factory keeping the fish from being injured via avoiding damaging contact with any of this apparatus, comprising:

  • (a) a frame assembly of a horizontal base, a vertical support high rise support on this base, and a separator support on this vertical support;

    (b) a combined assembly of an in line upper primary product separator, and a lower secondary liquid separator mounted on the frame assembly via the separator support and the vertical high rise support at a substantial elevation above the horizontal base, with this upper primary product separator to separate the fish from the air, essentialy being a chamber with an open bottom having inside a downwardly directed internal conduit which extends from its top outside entry downwardly and outwardly to its lower outside exit and this internal conduit has an upwardly and sideways facing longitudinally grilled air exit to allow the air to escape into this chamber of the upper primary product separator, and with the secondary liquid separator to separate liquid from air, essentially being a chamber with an open top to match the open bottom of the chamber of the upper primary product separator, having;

    a funnel like central interior passage;

    a higher circumferentially located air exit for air enroute toa blower; and

    a lower centered gurry and liquid exit;

    (c) a rotary positive displacement blower mounted on the horizontal base of the frame assembly, and having a conduit connected from its inlet blow, to the higher circumferentially located air exit above of the secondary liquid separator, and having its exit directing the exhaust air to a silencer, and having a silencer to direct the exhaust air into the atmosphere at a convenient location;

    (d) a movable inlet depending conduit to receive and to guideably fly fish from its point of inlet, having a nozzle, which is moved about in a hold of a fishing boat, with fish thereafter flying up through this inlet to the combined assembly above of the in line upper primary product separator, and the lower secondary liquid separtor, and having at its top, an exit fastening assembly for joining this movable inlet with the top outside entry of the inside downwardly directed internal conduit positioned within the chamber of the upper primary product separator;

    (e) a movable outlet depending conduit to receive and to guide fish leaving the lower outside exit above, of the downwardly directed internal conduit within the chamber of the upper primary product separator, with their momentum assuring their continuation of travel by gravity downwardly to be collected and then discharged for example on sorting conveyors of a fish processing factory, having at its entry a fastener assembly for joining with the lower outside exit of the downwardly directed internal conduit, and having at its exit an easily manipulated self sealing flexible discharge sleeve capable of holding back a sufficient changing group of fish until their combined weight overcomes the barometric pressure head, to thereafter intermittently force open this otherwise self sealing flexible discharge sleeve; and

    (f) a smaller movable outlet depending conduit to receive and to guide gurry and liquid leaving the combined assembly of the in line upper primary product separator and the lower secondary liquid separator, having a fastener assembly for joining it to the lower secondary liquid separator, which in turn has the lower centered gurry and liquid exit to also receive the fastener assembly, and having a self sealing flexible discharge sleeve capable of holding back a sufficient temporarily collecting grouping of particles of gurry and liquid, until their combined weight overcomes the barometric pressure head, to thereafter intermittently force open this otherwise self sealing flexible discharge sleeve and the departing liquid and gurry is collected, eventually to be disposed of as waste or a waste product.

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