Apparatus for dispensing a plurality of fluids and container for use in the same

• US 7,347,344 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2003
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fast & Fluid Management B.V. (RELX PLC)
• Original Assignee: Fluid Management Operations LLC
• Inventors: Engels, Marcel Hendrikus Petrus, Peeters, Bastiaan Albert Simon, Papaikonomou, Constantijn Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nicolas; Frederick C.
• Application Number:
  US10/694,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20050087545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,611 Days
• Field of Search: 222/1, 222135-137, 222/105, 222/325, 222/144, 222/144.5, 222/108, 222/385, 222/103, 222/463, 222/55, 222/52, 222/77
• US Class Current: 222/144
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2101/30 Mixing paints or paint ingredients, e.g. pigments, dyes, colours, lacquers or enamel
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/841 with component receptacles fixed in a circular configuration on a horizontal table, e.g. the table being able to be indexed about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/2117 Weight

Abstract

An apparatus for dispensing a plurality of fluids, comprises a plurality of pumps, having a connector for releasably connecting, to the respective pump, a container, which holds a fluid and comprises a connector-counterpart, and at least one actuator for releasing a container from a connector, which the actuator is adapted to operatively engage the connector-counterpart and, upon engaging this counterpart, pull the same onto the connector and establish a fluid connection between the respective pump and the container.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing a plurality of fluids, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of pumps, each pump having a connector for releasably connecting a container to said each pump,

each container holding a fluid and comprising a connector-counterpart,

at least one pivoting actuator lever for both releasing said each container from its respective connector and for pulling said each container onto said respective connector and establishing a fluid connection between said each pump and said each container,

the at least one pivoting actuator lever being mounted on a pivot axis, the pivoting actuator lever comprising an operating handle on one side of the pivot axis and at least one arm for operatively engaging the connector-counterpart on an opposing side of the pivot axis.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least some of the pumps are associated with the pivoting actuator lever.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, upon establishing said fluid connection between said each pump and said each container, the handle extends substantially parallel to the pump and/or the container.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the connector-counterpart comprises at least one rail or slot and the said arm comprises at least one protrusion adapted to engage the rail or slot.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connectors are mounted on a turntable and arranged in a circle or part of a circle.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a weighing device disposed tangentially to the turntable but vertically below the turntable, the weighing device providing a surface for supporting a product container to be at least partially filled with at least some of the plurality of fluids, the weighing device measuring a weight of each fluid dispensed into the product container.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the weighing device communicates signals indicative of the weight of said each fluid dispensed into the product container to a computer.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the computer verifies that said each fluid intended to be dispensed was dispensed and that correct amounts of said each fluid dispensed into the computer were actually dispensed.

9. A container for use in the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is a bag-in-box container and at least part of an outer surface of the container is made of paper or cardboard.

10. An apparatus for dispensing a plurality of fluids, comprising:

a plurality of volumetric metering pumps, each pump is connected to a container or having a connector for releasably connecting said container to said each pump, and

a weighing device for measuring a weight of a fluid dispensed by the pumps,

wherein each container is a bag-in-box container and comprises a connector-counterpart fixed to the bag, each box comprises an opening for accommodating the connector-counterpart the connector-counterpart comprises a rim comprising a groove or at least one recess, and wherein the rim of the opening in the box is positioned in the said groove or at least one recess.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, which further comprises a data processing device comprising:

a memory for storing at least one parameter indicative of a required accuracy of a weight measurement to be carried out and wherein a length of a time interval during which the weight measurements is carried out is selected depending on a stored parameter.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one parameter is indicative of an amount that has been dispensed by at least one pump.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the weighing device communicates signals indicative of the weight of said fluid dispensed into the product container to a computer.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the computer verifies that said fluid intended to be dispensed was dispensed and that correct amounts of said fluid dispensed were actually dispensed.

15. An apparatus for dispensing a plurality of fluids, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of pumps, a plurality of containers, a plurality of connectors, and a plurality of receptacles,

each pump connected to a container by a connector;

at least some of the connectors being positioned above one of the a receptacles, the receptacles collecting fluid dripping from the connectors,

a shared receptacle being positioned beneath the plurality of receptacles to collect said fluid dripping from the plurality of receptacles.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each receptacle comprises a lower wall, the lower walls of the receptacles being inclined and the lower walls comprising an opening for passing collected fluid down to the shared receptacle.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a portion of each lower wall of the receptacle is funnel shaped.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the pumps and receptacles are mounted over a support and wherein the portion of the lower wall that is funnel-shaped extends through the support.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the shared receptacle comprises an inclined first surface, positioned beneath at least some of the receptacles, the inclined first surface comprising a lower rim connected to a raised edge, the lower rim and raised edge forming a first end of the inclined first surface, the shared receptacle further comprising an inclined second surface, positioned beneath the first end the inclined first surface.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the inclined first surface comprises a second end disposed opposite the lower rim and raised edge from the first end, the shared receptacle further comprising an inclined third surface positioned beneath the second end of the inclined first surface.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a drawer positioned below the inclined first, second and third surfaces.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the pumps, connectors, and receptacles and shared receptacle are mounted on a turntable and arranged in a circle or part of a circle, the drawer being positioned beneath the inclined first, second and third surfaces, and wherein the inclined first, second and third surfrces of the shared receptacle follow the circumference of the said turntable such that said fluid dripping from any one of the receptacles will be collected by at least one of the inclined surfaces.

23. A container for use in the apparatus of claim 15, wherein the container is a bag-in-box container and at least part of an outer surface of the container is made of paper or cardboard.

24. A container for use in the apparatus of claim 15, wherein the container is a bag-in-box container, a connector-counterpart is fixed to the bag, the box comprises an opening for accommodating the connector-counterpart, the connector-counterpart comprises a rim comprising a groove or at least one recess, and wherein the rim of the opening in the box is positioned in the said groove or at least one recess.

25. An apparatus for dispensing a plurality of fluids, the apparatus comprising:

a support, and

a plurality of pumps, each pump connected to a container or having a connector for releasably connecting a container to said each pump, and,

a guide for receiving and accommodating a container mounted on the support,

or guide is formed as a module which, a plurality of sent modules, each module comprising one pump, one connector, one container, and one guide, said each module,

the modules comprising a font portion and a rear portion, the rear portion of said each module comprising first half of a releasable connection selected from the group consisting of an extension and a recess, the support comprising second halves of the releasable connections selected from the group consisting of a plurality recesses for receiving extensions of said modules, a plurality of extensions for engaging rececesses of said modules and combinations thereof.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the rear portion of said each module comprises an extention extending below the module and beyond the rear portion thereof, whereas the support comprises a plurality of recesses, each recess for receiving one of the extentions.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein at least some of the pumps comprise an actuator for releasing said container from the connector and wherein the actuator is part of the modules.

28. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein a receptacle is positioned beneath or around at least some of the connectors to collect fluid leaking or dripping from a said container and wherein the receptacle is part of the modules.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the modules are mounted on a turntable and arranged in a circle or part of a circle.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a weighing device disposed tangentially to the turntable but vertically below the turntable, the weighing device providing a surface for supporting a product container to be at least partially filled with at least some of the plurality of fluids, the weighing device measuring a weight of each fluid dispensed into the product container.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the weighing device communicates signals indicative of the weight of said each fluid dispensed into the product container to a computer.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the computer verifies that said each fluid intended to be dispensed was dispensed and that correct amounts of said each fluid dispensed into the computer were actually dispensed.

33. A container for use in the apparatus of claim 25, wherein the container is a bag-in-box container and at least part of an outer surface of the container is made of paper or cardboard.

34. A container for use in the apparatus of claim 25, wherein the container is a bag-in-box container, a connector-counterpart is fixed to the bag, the box comprises an opening for accommodating the connector-counterpart, the connector-counterpart comprises a rim comprising a groove or at least one recess, and wherein the rim of the opening in the box is positioned in the said groove or at least one recess.

35. An apparatus for dispensing a plurality of fluids, comprising;

a turntable and

a plurality of pumps, each pump is connected to a container or having a connector for releasably connecting said container to said each pump,

the pumps and containers or connectors being mounted on the turntable arranged along the circumference of the turntable or part of the circumference of the turntable,

wherein at least one of the containers has a larger volume and is positioned towards a center of the turntable.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the containers comprise a front portion and a rear portion,

the front portion being positioned at or near the circumference of the turntable.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, comprising two or more larger containers, which are substantially evenly distributed, either individually or group wise, over the circumference of the turntable.

38. The apparatus of claim 35, comprising two or more larger containers containing a developer of different concentrations.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the concentrations of the developer are in a range from 0 to 20 percent.

40. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the at least one larger container comprises a front portion and a rear portion and wherein a filler opening is provided in at least the front portion.

41. A container for use in the apparatus of claim 35, wherein the container is a bag-in-box container and at least part of an outer surface of the container is made of paper or cardboard.

42. A container for use in the apparatus of claim 35, wherein the container is a bag-in-box container, a connector-counterpart is fixed to the bag, the box comprises an opening for accommodating the connector-counterpart, the connector-counterpart comprises a rim comprising a groove or at least one recess, and wherein the rim of the opening in the box is positioned in the said groove or at least one recess.

43. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising a weighing device disposed tangentially to the turntable but vertically below the turntable, the weighing device providing a surface for supporting a product container to be at least partially filled with at least some of the plurality of fluids, the weighing device measuring a weight of each fluid dispensed into the product container.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the weighing device communicates signals indicative of the weight of said each fluid dispensed into the product container to a computer.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the computer verifies that said each fluid intended to be dispensed was dispensed and that correct amounts of said each fluid dispensed into the computer were actually dispensed.

46. A method of dispensing a recipe comprising a plurality of fluids from a dispensing apparatus comprising a plurality of pumps, each pump connected to a container holding one of said fluids, the apparatus further comprising a weighing device for measuring a weight of each fluid dispensed by the pumps, and a computer having a memory with a plurality of recipes stored therein, the method comprising:

selecting a recipe;

said each fluid of the recipe, dispensing said each fluid from said each pump and weighing an amount of said each fluid dispensed by said each pump and confirming that a correct amount of said each fluid was dispensed.