Methods and apparatus for dispensing solid articles
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for dispensing articles, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing defining;
a hopper chamber to hold the articles;
a dispensing channel fluidly connected to the hopper chamber, the dispensing channel having an inlet and an outlet and defining a flow path therebetween; and
an agitation outlet;
a gas source to provide a positive pressure supply gas flow having a first pressure, a first velocity and a first mass flow rate;
a drive mechanism to convey articles through the dispensing channel along the flow path; and
an agitation jet device interposed and fluidly connected between the gas source and the agitation outlet, the agitation jet device including a feed opening to receive the supply gas flow and a jet opening to convert the supply gas flow to a pressurized agitation gas flow through the agitation outlet to agitate articles in the hopper chamber, wherein the agitation gas flow includes a supplemental gas flow that mixes with the supply gas flow, absorbs energy from the supply gas flow, and joins the supply gas flow to provide the agitation gas flow, the agitation gas flow having a second pressure less than the first pressure, a second velocity greater than the first velocity, and a second mass flow rate greater than the first mass flow rate.
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Abstract
An apparatus for dispensing articles includes a housing, a gas source, a drive mechanism and an agitation jet device. The housing defines: a hopper chamber to hold the articles; a dispensing channel fluidly connected to the hopper chamber, the dispensing channel having an inlet and an outlet and defining a flow path therebetween; and an agitation outlet. The gas source provides a positive pressure supply gas flow having a first pressure, a first velocity and a first mass flow rate. The drive mechanism conveys articles through the dispensing channel along the flow path. The agitation jet device is interposed and fluidly connected between the gas source and the agitation outlet. The agitation jet device includes a feed opening to receive the supply gas flow and a jet opening to convert the supply gas flow to a pressurized agitation gas flow through the agitation outlet to agitate articles in the hopper chamber. The agitation gas flow has a second pressure less than the first pressure, a second velocity greater than the first velocity, and a second mass flow rate greater than the first mass flow rate.
77 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An apparatus for dispensing articles, the apparatus comprising:
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a housing defining; a hopper chamber to hold the articles; a dispensing channel fluidly connected to the hopper chamber, the dispensing channel having an inlet and an outlet and defining a flow path therebetween; and an agitation outlet; a gas source to provide a positive pressure supply gas flow having a first pressure, a first velocity and a first mass flow rate; a drive mechanism to convey articles through the dispensing channel along the flow path; and an agitation jet device interposed and fluidly connected between the gas source and the agitation outlet, the agitation jet device including a feed opening to receive the supply gas flow and a jet opening to convert the supply gas flow to a pressurized agitation gas flow through the agitation outlet to agitate articles in the hopper chamber, wherein the agitation gas flow includes a supplemental gas flow that mixes with the supply gas flow, absorbs energy from the supply gas flow, and joins the supply gas flow to provide the agitation gas flow, the agitation gas flow having a second pressure less than the first pressure, a second velocity greater than the first velocity, and a second mass flow rate greater than the first mass flow rate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for dispensing articles using an apparatus including a housing defining a hopper chamber to hold the articles, a dispensing channel fluidly connected to the hopper chamber, and an agitation outlet, the apparatus further including a gas source, a drive mechanism, and an agitation jet device interposed and fluidly connected between the gas source and the agitation outlet, the method comprising:
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providing a positive pressure supply gas flow from the gas source to a feed opening of the agitation jet device, the supply gas flow having a first pressure, a first velocity and a first mass flow rate; using a jet opening of the agitation jet device, converting the supply gas flow to a pressurized agitation gas flow through the agitation outlet to agitate articles in the hopper chamber, wherein the agitation gas flow includes a supplemental gas flow that mixes with the supply gas flow, absorbs energy from the supply gas flow, and joins the supply gas flow to provide the agitation gas flow, the agitation gas flow having a second pressure less than the first pressure, a second velocity greater than the first velocity, and a second mass flow rate greater than the first mass flow rate; and conveying the articles through the dispensing channel along the flow path using the drive mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification
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Current AssigneeParata Systems, LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
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Original AssigneeParata Systems, LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
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InventorsMichelli, Richard D., Dummer, Andrew Kirk
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Primary Examiner(s)Crawford, Gene
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Assistant Examiner(s)Randall, Jr., Kelvin L
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Application NumberUS12/473,757Publication NumberTime in Patent Office1,930 DaysField of Search221/200, 221/278US Class Current221/278CPC Class CodesG07F 11/44 in which magazines the arti...G07F 11/62 in which the articles are s...G07F 13/10 with associated dispensing ...G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensi...
