Adjustable slit nozzle
First Claim
1. An apparatus for dispensing fluidic material which comprises:
- an elastic tube having a wall with at least one transverse slit;
a first clamping member attached to said tube on one side of said at least one transverse slit;
a second clamping member attached to said tube on an opposite side of said at least one transverse slit;
a joining member on which said clamping members are mounted to slide toward and away from one another;
a spring means mounted on said joining member biased to force said clamping members toward one another;
a forcing member on said first member in contact with said second member which, when activated, forces said first and second members to slide away from one another;
a limiting stop means attached to said first and second members that prevents said first and second clamping members from separating from one another more than a predetermined distance thereby providing that said at least one transverse slit will be open to a dimension.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A nozzle system for dispensing fluidic materials including powder and/or liquid including an elastic tube having at least one transverse slit. The tube can include a tube formed from a tight coil of wire or a tube formed from an elastomeric material and the slits are formed as openings between loops in the coil or cuts in the elastomeric tube. The size of the opening of the slits is determined by tension applied to the tube or by bending the tube. One means of control includes two clamp members, one on each side of the tube wherein the clamp members are hinged together. A ram between clamp members provides means for adjusting the bend in the tube in the area of the slit. The ram can be controlled by one of a number of means including pneumatic or a screw.
9 Citations
17 Claims
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1. An apparatus for dispensing fluidic material which comprises:
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an elastic tube having a wall with at least one transverse slit; a first clamping member attached to said tube on one side of said at least one transverse slit; a second clamping member attached to said tube on an opposite side of said at least one transverse slit; a joining member on which said clamping members are mounted to slide toward and away from one another; a spring means mounted on said joining member biased to force said clamping members toward one another; a forcing member on said first member in contact with said second member which, when activated, forces said first and second members to slide away from one another; a limiting stop means attached to said first and second members that prevents said first and second clamping members from separating from one another more than a predetermined distance thereby providing that said at least one transverse slit will be open to a dimension. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for spraying fluid which comprises:
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a tube having a wall with at least one transverse slit; a clamping member clamped onto a first section of said tube on a first side of said at least one slit; a sliding member slidably mounted onto a second section of said tube on a second side of said at least one slit; a hinging means for joining said clamping member to said sliding member providing that said first section is positioned at an orientation with respect to said second section and said at least one slit is opened to a size depending on said orientation; and means for adjustably changing said orientation from one selected value to any other selected value within a range of values. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for spraying fluid which comprises:
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a tube having a wall with at least one transverse slit; a cable member having a first end attached to said tube on one side of said at least one slit and a second end; a means for applying tension to said cable member attached to said second end and to said tube on a second side of said at least one slit thereby causing said tube to bend and said at least one slit to open.
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13. An apparatus for spraying fluid which comprises:
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a tube having a wall with at least one transverse slit; a substrate having a surface with a curvature; means to attach said tube onto said surface thereby causing said at least one slit to open to a controlled width depending on said curvature.
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14. An apparatus for spraying fluid which comprises:
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a tube having a wall with at least one transverse slit and having a first end and a second end; a closed reservoir for containing said fluid connected to said first end of said tube; means for controllably bending said tube thereby providing that when a pressurized fluid is admitted inside said tube, a portion of said fluid will pass through said at least one slit and be emitted as a spray; means for pumping said fluid connected between said reservoir and said second end of said tube thereby providing that said fluid can be pumped continuously through said tube while spray is issuing from said at least one slit; means for controllably pressurizing said fluid contained in said reservoir thereby providing that rate of flow of spray from said at least one slit can be controlled independently from the velocity of the spray.
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15. A method for separating particles greater than a size from particles smaller than said size which includes the steps:
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bending a flexible tube having at least one transverse slit in a means capable of controllably bending said tube such as to cause said at least one slit to open to a width equal to said size; providing for said greater and smaller particles to flow continuously through said tube thereby causing a spray containing said smaller particles to issue from said slit and said larger particles to remain in said tube. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification