Pump having flexible liner and compounding apparatus having such a pump
First Claim
1. A pump for pumping a fluent material comprising:
- a liner including opposing walls of flexible material defining a plurality of pump cells, an inlet and an outlet, the pump cells being sized and shaped for receiving a quantity of the fluent material and being expandable for receiving fluent material and contractible for discharging fluent material;
a rigid shell adapted to receive and substantially enclose at least the pump cells of the liner, the shell being formed with a plurality of receptacles therein to receive in close fitting relation the pump cells, said receptacles being adapted for connection to a source of pressurized gas and for connection to a vacuum source for selectively applying a vacuum pressure and a positive pressure to the cells to selectively expand and collapse the cells for drawing fluent material into the pump cell and expelling the fluent material from the pump cells;
valves associated with the rigid shell and disposed for pinching engagement with the liner adjacent to the pump cells for selectively blocking and opening fluid communication of the pump cells thereby to pump the fluent material.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A pump has a flexible liner which is expanded and contracted by application of positive and negative fluid pressure for receiving and discharging fluent material. The liner is received in a rigid shell which defines the maximum volume received. In discharging fluent material, a vacuum is applied to one side of the liner, while applying pressure to the other side so the liner is collapsed against the rigid shell. The liner is arranged so as to be the only part of the pump which contacts the fluent material, and is replaceable to effect rapid and easy cleaning of the pump. The liner has multiple pump cells which can expand and contract for moving fluent material through the pump cell. The pump cells can be sized and arranged so that by selection of particular pump cells which receive the fluent material, precise volumes can be metered by the pump.
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Citations
86 Claims
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1. A pump for pumping a fluent material comprising:
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a liner including opposing walls of flexible material defining a plurality of pump cells, an inlet and an outlet, the pump cells being sized and shaped for receiving a quantity of the fluent material and being expandable for receiving fluent material and contractible for discharging fluent material;
a rigid shell adapted to receive and substantially enclose at least the pump cells of the liner, the shell being formed with a plurality of receptacles therein to receive in close fitting relation the pump cells, said receptacles being adapted for connection to a source of pressurized gas and for connection to a vacuum source for selectively applying a vacuum pressure and a positive pressure to the cells to selectively expand and collapse the cells for drawing fluent material into the pump cell and expelling the fluent material from the pump cells;
valves associated with the rigid shell and disposed for pinching engagement with the liner adjacent to the pump cells for selectively blocking and opening fluid communication of the pump cells thereby to pump the fluent material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A pump for pumping a fluent material comprising:
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a liner including opposing walls of flexible material defining at least one pump cell, an inlet and an outlet, the pump cell being sized and shaped far receiving a quantity of the fluent material and being expandable for receiving fluent material and contractible for discharging fluent material;
a rigid shell adapted to receive and substantially enclose at least the pump cell of the liner, the shell being formed with at least one receptacle therein to receive in close fitting relation the pump cell, said one receptacle being adapted for connection to a source of pressurized gas and for connection to a vacuum source for selectively applying a vacuum pressure and a positive pressure to the cell to selectively expand and collapse the cell for drawing fluent material into the pump cell and expelling the fluent material from the pump cell;
the rigid shell being adapted to hold the walls of the liner in sealing relation around the receptacle, valves associated with the rigid shell and disposed for pinching engagement with the liner adjacent to the pump cell for selectively blocking and opening fluid communication of the pump cell thereby to pump the fluent material. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. A pump for pumping a fluent material comprising:
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a liner including opposing walls of flexible material defining at least one pump cell, an inlet and an outlet, the pump cell being sized and shaped for receiving a quantity of the fluent material and being expandable for receiving fluent material and contractible for discharging fluent material;
a rigid shell adapted to receive and substantially enclose at least the pump cell of the liner, the shell being formed with at least one receptacle therein to receive in close fitting relation the pump cell, said one receptacle being adapted for connection to a source of pressurized gas and for connection to a vacuum source for selectively applying a vacuum pressure and a positive pressure to the cell to selectively expand and collapse the cell for drawing fluent material into the pump cell and expelling the fluent material from the pump cell;
the shell comprising first and second shell members hingedly attached to each other for opening and closing the shell to receive or remove the liner from the shell, valves associated with the rigid shell and disposed for pinching engagement with the liner adjacent to the pump cell for selectively blocking and opening fluid communication of the pump cell thereby to pump the fluent material. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. Apparatus for dispensing a customized drink mixture comprising:
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a dispensing outlet for dispensing the drink mixture to a container;
a first pump for pumping a base liquid of the drink mixture from a source to the dispensing outlet;
a second pump for metering selected quantities of admixtures to the base liquid for forming with the base liquid the drink mixture in the container, the second pump comprising;
a liner including opposing walls of flexible material selectively joined together to define at least two pump cells sized and shaped for receiving a quantity of one of the admixtures, the liner further including inlets and at least one outlet in communication with the pump cell so that admixture passes through the pump contacting only the liner;
a rigid shell adapted to receive and substantially enclose at least the pump cells of the liner, the shell being formed with receptacles therein to receive in close fitting relation the pump cells, the receptacles being adapted for connection to a source of pressurized gas and for connection to a vacuum source for selectively applying a vacuum pressure and a positive pressure to the cell to selectively expand and collapse the cell for drawing fluent material into the pump cell and expelling the fluent material from the pump cell;
valves associated with the rigid shell and disposed for pinching engagement with the liner adjacent to the pump cells for selectively blocking and opening fluid communication of the pump cells with the inlets and the outlet thereby to pump the admixture. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A pump for metering a fluent material comprising:
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a pump cell having flexible walls expandable between a fill configuration in which the walls enclose a first volume for receiving fluent material into the pump cell and a discharge configuration in which the walls enclose substantially no volume for discharging fluent material from the pump cell;
a shell defining a space therein adapted to receive the pump cell for substantially enclosing the pump shell;
a pressure source adapted for fluid communication with the shell space for applying positive fluid pressure in the space;
a vacuum source adapted for fluid communication with the shell space for applying vacuum pressure to the shell space;
a control for the pressure source and the vacuum source operable to first apply a vacuum pressure to the shell space for expanding the pump cell to the fill configuration for receiving fluent material into the pump cell, then to apply both a vacuum pressure and a positive fluid pressure for drawing one of the walls of the pump cell against the shell and pressing another of the walls of the pump cell against said one wall for moving the pump cell to the discharge configuration for discharging the fluent material. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of operating a pump including a flexible pump cell expandable to define a volume and contractible to collapse the volume, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving fluent material into the pump cell by creating a vacuum around the pump cell to expand the pump cell;
discharging fluent material from the pump cell by applying a vacuum pressure generally on one side of the pump cell while applying positive pressure to another side of the pump cell for collapsing said other side of the pump cell against said one side to discharge fluent material from the pump cell. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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- 38. A disposable pump liner for use in a rigid shell of a pump, the shell being adapted to receive the liner to meter fluent material without contact of the fluent material with the shell, the pump liner comprising opposed flexible walls constructed for removable reception in the shell, an outlet for discharging fluent material from the liner, a plurality of pump cell defined by the opposed flexible walls, each pump cell being deflectable to a first position defining a first volume for receiving fluent material therein and to a second position defining a second volume less than said first volume by action of a fluid on said cell outside said opposed flexible walls for pumping fluent material from said cell towards the outlet, said plurality of pump cells including at least two pump cells having different volumes for use in pumping different selected volumes of fluent material toward the outlet.
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45. Compounding apparatus for selectively combining components and dispensing admixtures, the compounding apparatus comprising:
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a liner of including opposing walls of flexible material at least partially free of connection to permit motion toward and away from each other, the liner including an inlet for each component to be compounded and at least one outlet;
a shell having multiple receptacles formed therein, the shell being adapted to receive the liner with portions of the liner in registration with corresponding receptacles, the wall portions in registration with the receptacles defining pump cells, the wall portions of each pump cell being expandable to receive a volume of at least one of the components into the pump cell and collapsible to discharge the component from the pump cell;
a pressure control system in fluid communication with the receptacles to selectively affect fluid pressure in the receptacle around the pump cells to cause expansion and contraction of the pump cells for receiving and discharging the components to form the admixture. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A pump for metering a fluent material comprising:
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a pump cell having flexible walls expandable between a fill configuration in which the walls enclose a first volume for receiving fluent material into the pump cell and a discharge configuration in which the walls enclose a second volume less than the first volume for discharging fluent material from the pump cell;
a shell defining a space therein adapted to receive the pump cell for substantially enclosing the pump cell;
a pressure source adapted for fluid communication with the shell space for applying positive fluid pressure in the space;
a vacuum source adapted for fluid communication with the shell space for applying vacuum pressure to the shell space;
a control for the pressure source and the vacuum source operable to first apply a vacuum pressure to the shell space for expanding the pump cell to the fill configuration for receiving fluent material into the pump cell, then to apply both a vacuum pressure and a positive fluid pressure for drawing one of the walls of the pump cell against the shell and pressing another of the walls of the pump cell toward said one wall for moving the pump cell to the discharge configuration for discharging the fluent material. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A pump for metering a fluent material using a pump cell having flexible walls expandable between a fill configuration in which the walls enclose a first volume for receiving fluent material into the pump cell and a discharge configuration in which the walls enclose a second volume less than the first volume for discharging fluent material from the pump cell, the pump comprising:
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a shell defining a space therein adapted to receive the pump cell for substantially enclosing the pump cell;
a pressure source adapted for fluid communication with the shell space for applying positive fluid pressure in the space;
a vacuum source adapted for fluid communication with the shell space for applying vacuum pressure to the shell space;
a control for the pressure source and the vacuum source operable to first apply a vacuum pressure to the shell space for expanding the pump cell to the fill configuration for receiving fluent material into the pump cell, then to apply both a vacuum pressure and a positive fluid pressure for drawing one of the walls of the pump cell against the shell and pressing another of the walls of the pump cell toward said one wall for moving the pump cell to the discharge configuration for discharging the fluent material. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59, 60, 61)
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62. Compounding apparatus for selectively combining components and dispensing admixtures, the compounding apparatus comprising:
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a liner of including opposing walls of flexible material at least partially free of connection to permit motion toward and away from each other, the liner including at least one outlet;
a shell having multiple receptacles formed therein, the shell being adapted to receive the liner with portions of the liner in registration with corresponding receptacles, the wall portions in registration with the receptacles defining pump cells, the wall portions of each pump cell being expandable to receive a volume of at least one of the components into the pump cell and collapsible to discharge the component from the pump cell;
a pressure control system in fluid communication with the receptacles to selectively affect fluid pressure in the receptacle around the pump cells to cause expansion and contraction of the pump cells for receiving and discharging the components to form the admixture. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
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68. Compounding apparatus for selectively combining components and dispensing admixtures using a liner of including opposing walls of flexible material at least partially free of connection to permit motion toward and away from each other, the liner including at least one outlet, the compounding apparatus comprising:
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a shell having multiple receptacles formed therein, the shell being adapted to receive the liner with portions of the liner in registration with corresponding receptacles, the wall portions in registration with the receptacles defining pump cells, the wall portions of each pump cell being expandable to receive a volume of at least one of the components into the pump cell and collapsible to discharge the component from the pump cell;
a pressure control system in fluid communication with the receptacles to selectively affect fluid pressure in the receptacle around the pump cells to cause expansion and contraction of the pump cells for receiving and discharging the components to form the admixture. - View Dependent Claims (69, 70)
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71. A pump for pumping a fluent material comprising:
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a liner including opposing walls of flexible material defining a plurality of pump cells, the pump cells being sized and shaped for receiving a quantity of the fluent material and being expandable for receiving fluent material and contractible for discharging fluent material;
a rigid shell adapted to receive and substantially enclose at least the pump cells of the liner, the shell being formed with a plurality of receptacles therein to receive in close fitting relation the pump cells, said receptacles being adapted for connection to a source of pressurized gas and for connection to a vacuum source for selectively applying a vacuum pressure and a positive pressure to the cells to selectively expand and collapse the cells for drawing fluent material into the pump cells and expelling the fluent material from the pump cells;
valves associated with the rigid shell and disposed for pinching engagement with the liner adjacent to the pump cells for selectively blocking and opening fluid communication of the pump cells thereby to pump the fluent material. - View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81)
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82. A pump for pumping a fluent material comprising:
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a liner including opposing walls of flexible material defining at least one pump cell, the pump cell being sized and shaped for receiving a quantity of the fluent material and being expandable for receiving fluent material and contractible for discharging fluent material;
a rigid shell adapted to receive and substantially enclose at least the pump cell of the liner, the shell being formed with at least one receptacle therein to receive in close fitting relation the pump cell, said one receptacle being adapted for connection to a source of pressurized gas and for connection to a vacuum source for selectively applying a vacuum pressure and a positive pressure to the cell to selectively expand and collapse the cell for drawing fluent material into the pump cell and expelling the fluent material from the pump cell;
the rigid shell being adapted to hold the walls of the liner in sealing relation around the receptacle;
valves associated with the rigid shell and disposed for pinching engagement with the liner adjacent to the pump cell for selectively blocking and opening fluid communication of the pump cell thereby to pump the fluent material. - View Dependent Claims (83)
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84. A pump for pumping a fluent material comprising:
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a liner including opposing walls of flexible material defining at least one pump cell, the pump cell being sized and shaped for receiving a quantity of the fluent material and being expandable for receiving fluent material and contractible for discharging fluent material;
a rigid shell adapted to receive and substantially enclose at least the pump cell of the liner, the shell being formed with at least one receptacle therein to receive in close fitting relation the pump cell, said one receptacle being adapted for connection to a source of pressurized gas and for connection to a vacuum source for selectively applying a vacuum pressure and a positive pressure to the cell to selectively expand and collapse the cell for drawing fluent material into the pump cell and expelling the fluent material from the pump cell;
the shell comprising first and second shell members hingedly attached to each other for opening and closing the shell to receive or remove the liner from the shell;
valves associated with the rigid shell and disposed for pinching engagement with the liner adjacent to the pump cell for selectively blocking and opening fluid communication of the pump cell thereby to pump the fluent material. - View Dependent Claims (85, 86)
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Specification