Apparatus for and method of controlling the opening and closing of channel for liquid
First Claim
1. A method of controlling the opening and closing of a channel for a liquid, comprising the steps of:
- cooling said liquid in said channel from the outside of said channel to solidify said liquid, thereby closing said channel; and
heating said channel from the outside thereof to melt said liquid solidified in said channel, thereby opening said channel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for controlling the opening and closing of a channel for a liquid is arranged such that a liquid channel is closed by causing a controller to control one heat absorbing and generating part of a cooling/heating element to execute heat absorption and cooling a heat transmitting element to solidify the liquid in the channel. The apparatus is also arrangement such that the channel is opened first by causing the controller to control the same heat absorbing and generating part to execute heat generation and heating the heat transmitting element to melt the liquid solidified in the channel. A method of controlling the opening and closing of a channel according to the invention includes the steps of: solidifying a liquid in a channel by cooling it from the outside to close the channel; and opening the channel thus closed by melting the liquid solidified in the channel by the application of heat.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. A method of controlling the opening and closing of a channel for a liquid, comprising the steps of:
cooling said liquid in said channel from the outside of said channel to solidify said liquid, thereby closing said channel; and
heating said channel from the outside thereof to melt said liquid solidified in said channel, thereby opening said channel.- View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. An apparatus for controlling the opening and closing of a channel for a liquid, comprising:
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heat transmitting means of a good heat conductivity type through which at least one channel for a liquid extends; at least one cooling and heating means having one heat absorbing and generating part secured to said heat transmitting means; heat exchanger means secured to another part of said at least one cooling and heating means; and controlling means for controlling said heat absorbing and generating part of said cooling and heating means to execute heat absorption or heat generation; said apparatus being arranged such that said channel is closed first by causing said controlling means to control said heat absorbing and generating part of said cooling and heating means which is closer to said heat transmitting means to execute said heat absorption and then by cooling said heat transmitting means to solidify said liquid in said channels in said heat transmitting means, and such that said channel is opened first by causing said controlling means to control the same heat absorbing and generating part to execute said heat generation and then by heating said heat transmitting means to melt said liquid solidified in said channels in said heat transmitting means. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 39)
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24. An apparatus for controlling the opening and closing of channels for a liquid, comprising:
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heat transmitting means of a good heat conductivity type through which a plurality of channels extend in the same direction; at least one cooling and heating means having one heat absorbing and generating part secured to said heat transmitting means; heat exchanger means secured to another part of the at least one cooling and heating means spaced from the one heat absorbing and generating part; and controlling means for controlling said heat absorbing and generating part of said cooling and heating means to execute heat absorption or heat generation; said apparatus being arranged such that said channels are closed first by causing said controlling means to control said heat absorbing and generating part of said cooling and heating means which is closer to said heat transmitting means to execute said heat absorption and then by cooling said heat transmitting means to solidify said liquid in said channels in said heat transmitting means, and such that said channels are opened first by causing said controlling means to control the same heat absorbing and generating said heat transmitting means to melt said liquid solidified in said channels in said heat transmitting means. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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40. An apparatus for controlling the opening and closing of a channel for a liquid, comprising:
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heat transmitting means through which at least one branch channel extends, said branch channel branching from at least one main channel for said liquid; at least one cooling and heating means having one heat absorbing and generating part secured to said heat transmitting means; heat exchanger means secured to another part of said at least one cooling and heating means; and controlling means for controlling said heat absorbing and generating part of said cooling and heating means to execute heat absorption or heat generation; said apparatus being arranged such that said channels are closed first by causing said controlling means to control said heat absorbing and generating part of said cooling and heating means which is closer to said heat transmitting means to execute said heat absorption and then by cooling said heat transmitting means to solidify said liquid in said channels in said heat transmitting means, and such that said channels are opened first by causing said controlling means to control the same heat absorbing and generating part to execute said heat generation and then by heating said heat transmitting means to melt said liquid solidified in said channels in said heat transmitting means. - View Dependent Claims (41)
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42. An apparatus for controlling the opening and closing of a channel for a liquid, comprising:
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a plurality of heat transmitting means through each of which at least one channel for said liquid extends; at least one cooling and heating means having one heat absorbing and generating part secured to each of said heat transmitting means; common heat exchanger means secured to another part of each of said at least one cooling means; and cooling means for controlling said heat absorbing and generating part of said cooling and heating means to execute heat absorption or heat generation; said apparatus being arranged such that said channel is closed first by causing said controlling means to control said heat absorbing and generating part of said cooling and heating means which is closer to said heat transmitting means to execute said heat absorption and then cooling said heat transmitting means to solidify said liquid in said channel in said heat transmitting means, and such that said channel is opened first by causing said controlling means to control the same heat absorbing and generating part to execute said heat generation and then by heating said heat transmitting means to melt said liquid solidified in said channel in said heat transmitting means. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44)
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45. An apparatus for controlling the opening and closing of a channel for a liquid, comprising:
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a plurality of heat transmitting means through each of which a branch channel branching from said channel for said liquid extends; cooling and heating means having one heat absorbing and generating part secured to at least one of said heat transmitting means and another heat absorbing and generating part secured to the remaining heat transmitting means; and controlling means for controlling said heat absorbing and generating part of said cooling and heating means to execute heat absorption or heat generation; said apparatus being arranged such that said channel is closed first by causing said controlling means to control said heat absorbing and generating part of said cooling and heating means which is closer to said heat transmitting means to execute said heat absorption and then by cooling said heat transmitting means to solidify said liquid in said branch channel in said heat transmitting means, said channel being simultaneously opened first by causing said controlling means to control the other heat absorbing and generating part to execute said heat generation and then by heating said other heat transmitting means to melt said liquid solidified in said channel in said heat transmitting means.
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Specification