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

• US 7,360,564 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fast & Fluid Management B.V. (RELX PLC)
• Original Assignee: Fluid Management Incorporated
• Inventors: Engels, Marcel Hendrikus Petrus, Peeters, Bastiaan Albert Simon, Papaikonomou, Constantijn Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Douglas; Steven O.
• Application Number:
  US11/551,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20070044863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 141100-104, 141/9, 141/83, 141/94, 222/1, 222135-137, 222/103, 222/325, 222/463, 222/55, 222/144, 222/144.5, 222/108, 222/385
• US Class Current: 141/83
• 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, comprising 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. A method of measuring the densities of fluids by means of an apparatus for dispensing a plurality of fluids, the apparatus comprising a plurality of volumetric metering pumps, each pump connected to a container by a connector for releasably connecting said container to its respective pump, and the apparatus further comprising a weighing device for measuring a weight of fluid dispensed by the pumps, the method comprising:

dispensing a first pre-selected volume of a first fluid from a first volumetric metering pump;

measuring the weight of the dispensed volume of the first fluid;

dividing the measured weight of the first fluid by the pre-selected volume thereby yielding a value for density of the first fluid;

dispensing a second pre-selected volume of a second fluid from a second volumetric metering pump;

measuring the weight of the dispensed volume of the second fluid; and

dividing the measured weight of the second fluid by the second pre-selected volume thereby yielding a value for density of the second fluid.

2. A method of calibrating an apparatus for dispensing a plurality of fluids, the method comprising a plurality of volumetric metering pumps, each pump connected to a container by a connector for releasably connecting said container to its respective pump, the apparatus further comprising a weighing device for measuring the weight of the fluid dispensed by the pumps and a data processing device comprising a memory for storing data, the method comprising:

selecting one or more discrete volumes;

dispensing each of the discrete volumes one or more times with at least one of the pumps;

measuring values for each dispensed volume and,

calculating for the discrete volumes and the pumps a mean value of the measured values; and

storing the mean value in the data processing device.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising

determining a smallest amount of fluid to be dispensed, and

selecting at least one discrete volume smaller than this smallest amount.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising storing at least one parameter in the memory of the data processing device wherein the at least one parameter is indicative of a required accuracy of the measured values for the dispensed volumes to be carried out and wherein a length of the time interval during which the measuring of the values are carried out is selected depending on the stored parameter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one parameter is indicative of amounts that have been dispensed by at least some of the pumps.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the apparatus further comprises a plurality of receptacles, each receptacle positioned beneath one of the connectors in the method further comprises collecting fluid dripping from a respective connector.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein a lower wall of at least one receptacle is inclined and comprises an opening for the passage of collected fluid, and the method further comprises passing fluid through said opening.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein each lower wall of each receptacle is shaped as a funnel.

9. The method of claim of claim 8 wherein the pumps and receptacles are mounted on a support and wherein the funnels extend through the support.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein a shared receptacle is positioned beneath the said receptacles in the method further comprises collecting fluid dripping from the receptacles in the shared receptacle.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the shared receptacle comprises an inclined first surface, positioned beneath a number of the said receptacles and having a raised edge along a lower rim thereof, and the shared receptacle further comprises at least a second surface, positioned beneath at least one end of the raised edge of the first surface.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the shared receptacle comprises an inclined second surface provided with a raised edge is positioned beneath each of the ends of the raised edge of the first surface.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the pumps, connectors, and receptacles are mounted on a turntable and arranged concentrically, and the shared receptacle comprises a third surface is positioned beneath an end of each of the raised edges of the second surfaces, and wherein the first, second and third surfaces follow the circumference of the turntable such that fluid dripping from any one of the receptacles will be collected by at least one of the surfaces of the shared receptacle.