Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for dosaging a particulate material. The particulate material includes, at least in operation, a cavity having an inlet opening facing upwardly for receiving the material from an external source, an outlet opening facing downwardly, for disposing therethrough dosages of the material and a dosage feeder located inside the cavity and having at least one dosage recess.

Abstract: A distance measuring method and apparatus are provided. The distance measuring apparatus emits a transmission signal while changing a frequency over time, receives a reception signal from an object in response to the transmission signal being reflected from the object, samples a beat frequency indicating a difference between a frequency of the transmission signal and a frequency of the reception signal in a sampling range that changes based on the beat frequency, and determines a distance to the object based on the sampling.

Abstract: A tank and a method of carrying a load and discharging a load therefrom. The tank includes a tank assembly having a first wall that bounds and defines a first compartment for carrying a load therein and a second wall spaced outwardly from at least a portion of the first wall; wherein a second compartment is defined between the first wall and the second wall. The tank assembly includes an air piping system that is selectively actuated to place the first compartment and the second compartment under a substantially similar or substantially equal air pressure. In one example the air piping system pumps air into the first compartment and the second compartment. In another example the air piping system evacuates air from the first and second compartments.

Abstract: A tank and a method of holding a load and discharging a load therefrom. The tank includes a first wall that bounds and defines a first compartment for holding a load therein and a second wall spaced outwardly from at least a portion of the first wall; wherein a second compartment is defined between the first wall and the second wall. The tank assembly includes an air piping system that is selectively actuated to place the first compartment and the second compartment under substantially similar or substantially equal air pressure. In one example the air piping system pumps air into the first compartment and the second compartment. In another example the air piping system evacuates air from the first and second compartments.

Abstract: A dry bulk tank and a method of carrying a load and discharging a load therefrom. The dry bulk tank includes a tank assembly having a first wall that bounds and defines a first compartment for carrying a load therein and a second wall spaced outwardly from at least a portion of the first wall; wherein a second compartment is defined between the first wall and the second wall. The tank assembly includes an air piping system that is selectively actuated to place the first compartment and the second compartment under a substantially similar or substantially equal air pressure. In one example the air piping system pumps air into the first compartment and the second compartment. In another example the air piping system evacuates air from the first and second compartments.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an applicator having an agricultural product mechanical and/or pneumatic conveying system which transfers particulate material from one or more source containers to application equipment on demand, and meters the material at the application equipment. The conveying system includes a static distributor interconnecting the supply lines of the conveying system with the distribution lines connected to the individual nozzles. The static distributor includes internal structures that effectively divert the incoming particulate material evenly across the interior of the static distributor such that the particulate material is evenly distributed into each of the distribution lines. The static distributor accomplishes this without the need for any moving parts or control systems/devices.

Abstract: A flavoring dispensing apparatus, system, and method configured for use with a plurality of pump equipped flavoring containers such as bottles, operable to automatically dispense relatively precise or metered amounts of flavoring, and more specifically concentrated flavoring, into a beverage container, mixing vessel, or other receiver. The containers are easily removed and replaced and flavoring levels can be automatically monitored for replacement with a fresh container.

Abstract: A mounting member fitted and mounted on an open head portion of an aerosol container 11 having an inner diameter of 1 inch is formed with two valve housing mounting portions. The mounting member is fitted and mounted with the middle portion of this mounting member being located at a bead 12 of the opening head portion of the aerosol container 11 in such a manner that the upper portions of aerosol valves project upwardly from the opening head portion. A cover 19 covering the outside of the mounting member is crimped to the outside of the bead 12 in a manner to hold down a stem gasket and two aerosol valves are provided in the inch can 11. A reinforcing cover member which holds down the stem gasket and prevents deformation of the cover is provided between the mounting member and the cover 19 to thereby accurately prevent deformation due to internal pressure applied to a top ceiling of the cover and leakage from the stem gasket.

Abstract: A system and method for providing custom colored sealant are generally provided with a dispensing container, containing a quantity of sealant base solution. A bottom wall of the dispensing container is positioned to limit any headspace within the interior of the dispensing container until the contents are ready to be mixed. The bottom wall is moved prior to adding a coloring agent to the dispensing container, which is mixed with the sealant base by agitating the dispensing container, until a desired color is attained. A sealant thickener may then be added and mixed by similar agitation of the dispensing container. A rod may be provided to engage and move the bottom wall. A pull string may also be provided to move the bottom wall. A nozzle is then coupled with the dispensing container and the custom-colored sealant is ready to be dispensed.

Abstract: A device for mixing and discharging plural materials has a body, a housing and a sealing plug. The body has multiple barrels and multiple tubes communicating with the barrels. The housing is rotatably attached to the body in a thread manner and has a mixing chamber and a discharging segment. The sealing plug is mounted in the mixing chamber to seal the tubes and has a sealing disk and multiple sealing sleeves. The sealing disk has multiple holes and multiple sealing lids mounted respectively in the holes, and each sealing lid has an outer edge connected detachably to the inner surface of a corresponding hole and having a thickness smaller than that of the sealing lid. The sealing sleeves are formed on the sealing disk, align respectively with the holes in the sealing disk and are mounted respectively around the tubes.

Abstract: An appliance with a rear wall section, a first side wall section, and a second side wall section, defining an interior. The appliance includes a refrigerator section within the appliance interior and the refrigerator section has the same or a smaller volume than the appliance interior. The appliance also includes a door with an exterior surface and an interior surface with a door liner. Further included is a module removably engaged with the appliance. Yet further included is a resealable comestible dry goods container having a defined interior volume, an exterior, and a bottom portion where the container is removably engaged within the module.

Abstract: A powder feed system includes a housing that defines a feed chamber to hold powder, the feed chamber having a powder inlet and a powder outlet, at least one feed wheel in the feed chamber, the feed wheel rotating about a feed wheel axis, at least one agitator in the feed chamber positioned to move the powder from the feed wheel to the powder outlet of the feed chamber, the agitator rotating about an agitator axis, and a drive mechanism to rotate the feed wheel about the feed wheel axis and to rotate the agitator about the agitator axis.

Abstract: The invention is a catalyst injection system and method for injecting catalyst. In one embodiment, a fluid catalytic injection system includes vessel configured to store one or more catalysts, a pressure transmitter, a pressure control valve, a discharge valve, and a controller. The pressure control valve is coupled to the vessel and regulates the gas pressure therein. The discharge valve is coupled to the vessel and controls a discharge of catalyst from the vessel. The pressure transmitter provides a metric of pressure to the controller as an input. The controller contains instructions, that when executed, prevents the simultaneous opening of the pressure control valve and the discharge valve. In another embodiment, a method for injecting catalyst into a fluid catalytic cracking unit is provided. The method includes regulating pressure within a catalyst storage vessel, changing an amount of catalyst in the storage vessel, and preventing a simultaneous occurrence of the regulating and changing steps.

Abstract: A laundry detergent dispenser includes a housing that has a bottom wall, a front wall, a back wall, a first side wall and a second side wall. The front wall has a first compartment and a second compartment extending therein. A container is mounted within the housing and has first downspout and a second downspout fluidly coupled thereto. Each of the first and second downspouts extends into one of the first and second compartments. Laundry detergent may be positioned within the container. Each of a first dispenser and a second dispenser is mounted within and substantially blocking one of the first and second downspouts. Each of the first and second dispensers is adapted for selectively dispensing a measuring quantity of detergent from the container and into a respective one of the first and second compartments. The first dispenser dispenses a greater amount of the laundry detergent than the second dispenser.

Abstract: A cold beverage dispensing system for chilling a beverage such that at least a portion of the beverage includes a frozen component. The system includes a beverage hopper or tank for retaining a quantity of beverage and a chilling assembly communicating with the beverage hopper for chilling the beverage. The system also includes a beverage detector having a conductive probe carried on and extending into the beverage hopper for detecting the condition of either the presence or absence of a beverage at a predetermined level in the beverage hopper and generating a refill control signal corresponding to the condition detected. A refill assembly communicates with the beverage hopper for controllably providing refill beverage to the beverage hopper. A controller is coupled to the refill assembly and the beverage detector for operating the refill assembly in response to the refill control signal to maintain the beverage in the beverage hopper at the predetermined level.

Abstract: A bypass chute is included with a bulk ingredient beverage brewer/dispenser such that bypass chute accepts an alternative ingredient directly from a user. In conventional operation, a bulk ingredient is moved through a guide and into a brew device chamber for brewing. However, in a bypass mode, an alternative ingredient is introduced into the bypass chute by the user and the bulk ingredient is not used.

Abstract: A feeding apparatus for feeding at least one ingredient of a free-flowing bulk material to a proportioning apparatus, the proportioning apparatus having a separate hopper scale for each ingredient, the feeding apparatus being disposed above the proportioning apparatus and being composed of a number of assembled modular units corresponding to the number of hopper scales in the proportioning apparatus, each modular unit including an ingredient feed spout and a shutter for opening and closing the spout.

Abstract: An improved granulator-dispenser apparatus including: an evaporator having a hollow, semicylindrical shell with a casing for an expanding refrigerating gas; a rear bracket fastened to the casing for housing a motor having a spin axle coupled to a transmission shaft provided with an arch-shaped blade for scraping an inside wall of the evaporator and pushing forward granulated product; a spiral scraper for scraping an outside wall of the evaporator and for mixing and conveying granulated product toward a discharge orifice, wherein the spiral scraper includes turns and spacers between the turns, and the spacers include a rear spacer having a blade for removing granulated product from a rear section of the at least one reservoir, and preventing an accumulation of granulated product and wherein the spiral scraper includes a front blade for conveying granulated product to a discharge orifice of the nozzle; preferably wherein the apparatus includes at least one reservoir comprising a front end with a nozzle, wherein

Abstract: A multiple probe liquid handler includes a syringe pump assembly with multiple syringe pumps communicating with the probes. A carriage movable with respect to a fixed support base carries syringe pump pistons moving within syringe pump cylinders secured to the base. A drive system including a single drive motor has a single drive point connection to the carriage for moving the carriage and operating the syringe pumps in order to draw fluid into or discharge fluid from the multiple probes. A linear motion support assembly includes spaced rails attached to the support base and slides attached to the carriage and riding along the rails. The assembly includes two parallel rails and three slides, one riding along one rail and two riding along the other rail, providing an inexpensive yet imbalance tolerant three point support.

Abstract: An adsorption medium reactor has a plurality of removal hoppers for removing flowable adsorption medium from the reactor. Each one of the removal hoppers has at least one removal opening. A common collecting funnel is arranged below the removal openings of the removal hoppers. The common collecting funnel has a removal device for emptying the common collecting funnel. Each one of the removal openings of the removal hoppers is slot-shaped and has two parallel-extending limiting edges. A rotary gate with at least one gate chamber is arranged below each one of the removal openings. The rotary gate is limited by a substantially cylindrical circumferential wall. The cylindrical circumferential wall has a plurality of inlet/outlet openings adapted to a cross-section of the corresponding removal opening. The inlet/outlet openings are arranged in a row axially adjacent to one another parallel to an axis of rotation of the rotary gate.

Abstract: A machine for dispensing a plurality of ingredients includes stepped arrays of canisters providing a source of materials. The bottom ends of the canisters are generally coplanar, and are positioned immediately above a low profile drive train mounted on a tray. A drive train includes two spaced arrays of pumps with a motor providing a common drive for the pumps, mounted between the arrays. A valve tray is located above the canisters and includes a low profile dispense head, an array of tubing members arranged side-by-side in a common, generally horizontal plane, and an array of dispense valves attached at the back of the valve tray. The dispense valves are coupled to the pumps by pairs of fluid lines, so as to circulate materials between the pumps and dispense valves.

Abstract: The invention provides a drink machine for preparing and dispensing different hot and cold beverages. It comprises a plurality of beverage powder stock containers, each container being equipped with a feeding worm. Gearing units assigned to each stock container can be selectively coupled via a gearing unit to a common driving motor by actuating an electromagnet to operate the feeding worm of a selected beverage powder stock container. Thus, only one single driving motor is required to selectively operate all driving worms of the stock container. By this design, the feeding worms can easily be operated intermittently such that the overall quality of the prepared beverage is improved.

Abstract: A plurality of individual plastic material ingredients are metered from respective individual material hoppers at controllable individual discharge rates, blended, and delivered to a common hopper. The blend of plastic material ingredients in the common hopper is discharged to an extruder or other material processing machine. The material processing rate of the processing machine is determined based on the sum of the discharge rates of the individual ingredients to the common hopper plus or minus the discharge rate of the blend from the common hopper to the processing machine. The discharge rates of the individual material ingredients from the individual hoppers to the common hopper is controlled as needed to maintain a preset recipe of the blend at the determined material processing rate of the processing machine.

Abstract: A particulate material feeder includes a hopper sectioned into two receptacles for accommodating two different kinds of particulate materials. Each particulate material falling down through a bottom opening of the receptacle is introduced into a feed channel defined between a feed roller having a frictional periphery and a control gate having a semi-circular cross-section. Thus, a pair of feeding systems for two different kinds of the particulate materials are symmetrically provided within a single apparatus. An opening degree of the feed channel may be controlled separately and independently in each feeding system so that a definite mixing rate of the two kinds of particulate material can be obtained as desired. On the contrary, the feed rollers provided in the two feed systems are driven by a single driving source and are thus rotated at the same speed.

Abstract: A dual hopper coffee cream or product dispenser assembly which has two chambers in which spiral augers are mounted so as to selectively dispense one of two products. Agitators of generally gear-shape configuration are mounted in the hoppers and are driven by the spiral so as to agitate the product for positive and smooth delivery.

Abstract: A sugar and cream dispenser for an automatic coffee machine which prevents coffee or sugar from being dispensed into cups where the customer does not desire cream or sugar. The cream and sugar chutes are provided with moveable doors which are closed except when cream or sugar is to be dispensed into a cup. When the customer selects cream or sugar such doors open so that the cream or sugar can be dispensed into the coffee cup and at other times such doors are closed. The doors also prevent moisture and steam from passing up into the cream and sugar chutes so as to cause clogging of the machine. The machine also provides an easily removeable chute structure which can be quickly cleaned and replaced on the machine.

Abstract: A dual air system for separately conveying fertilizer and seed in an implement such as an air drill or air seeder which includes an adjustable divider arrangement for providing a small amount of starter fertilizer to be placed with the seed. The total fertilizer metered by a fluted feed wheel is divided into two streams by an adjustable knife plate. A pivoting baffle plate resting against the knife plate deflects one of the two fertilizer portions to the fertilizer air system. The other fertilizer stream is delivered to the seed air system. The overall rate of fertilizer application may be adjusted without affecting the total amount of fertilizer provided to the seed air system.

Abstract: The spreading apparatus has a main hopper and at least one extension hopper, each having a discharge roller for flowable material such as chippings for road surfacing. The extension hopper is mounted adjacent the main hopper and movable longitudinally to enable variation of the combined width of the hoppers. A baffle cuts off communication between the discharge roller of the extension hopper and the major part of the interior of the extension hopper over a width corresponding to the longitudinal overlap between the main hopper and the extension hopper.

Abstract: A dual temperature beverage dispenser for providing a variety of beverages, both hot and cool from a small, high capacity, coin-activated unit. The dispenser includes a removable operating module which can be stored for safekeeping separate and apart from a water storage unit which becomes inoperative when the operating module is removed. The water storage unit includes a hot water heater including a tank and a storage tank for ambient water oriented above the hot water heater tank for gravity flow of ambient water to the hot water heater tank when required and for gravity flow to a discharge point in the operating module to enable ambient or cool water to be obtained without payment or beverage to be obtained from the dispenser by use of an appropriate coin or token.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for combining granular components. The granular material, in finely divided form, is moved from spaced-apart locations into flight paths or trajectories which overlap or cross one another. The mixing of the components first takes place in the crossover zone of the trajectories. The material is thus continuously and uniformly mixed in a simple manner. The apparatus for carrying out the method includes two drums which are rotated in opposite directions. Receivers for the components are distributed on the surfaces of the drums. An extraction device is located between the drums for removing the granular material from the receivers as the drums rotate. In the region below the extraction device, there is disposed a mixing zone in which the trajectories of the material cross one another.

Abstract: A meter assembly for a grain drill or seeder or similar implement. The meter assembly is hinged at one end to the implement and held in place by over center latches. To inspect and service the meter assembly and to empty the material containers, the latches are released allowing the meter assembly to swing down. The meter is driven by a pair of gears which automatically disengage when the meter assembly swings away from the latched working position and engage when the assembly is swung back to the working position. Removal and replacement of chains and bolts are eliminated to increase serviceability of the meter assembly.

Abstract: A machine for extruding tamale filling having a small tank suitable for meat or bean filling and a larger tank specifically designed for masa dough. Each of the tanks are enclosed containers into which is fitted a floating piston above the ingredients. Air pressure is admitted to each tank through a pressure gauge regulator system to move the pistons down, extruding the ingredients of the tanks through a meat and masa conduit into an encasing nozzle. The work product of the machine is a meat or bean filler encased in masa dough which is wrapped in corn shucks or other suitable wrapping material to form the tamale.

Abstract: A liquid dispenser has a transparent frame which houses a rotatable mounting assembly of a plurality of mounted liquid compressible containers having needle discharge outlets having covering caps to block liquid flow. A control unit can be operated so that the mounting assembly is rotated by a motor secured to the frame, and locked in position by a solenoid powered lock pin mounted to the frame which engages the mounting assembly. When the mounting assembly is locked into discharge position, a selected container needle is aligned with a discharge passage in the frame. Then a motor-driven compression drive unit secured to the frame is operated to move a gear rack forward so that a flange secured to the rack engages the end of the liquid container to drive it forward to cause the container needle to puncture its cover cap and also a diaphragm at the frame discharge passage.

Abstract: A plurality of metering conveyors for individual constituents of a mixture is arranged in conjunction with a single discharge conveyor. A drive means comprising a motor and transmission means simultaneously drive the discharge conveyor and is successively connected to each of the metering conveyors. A speed variator is interposed between each metering conveyor and the transmission means for individual control of each of the metering conveyors during operation.

Abstract: A planting machine having a driven agitator mechanism (7) in the seed hopper (10) which has outlet openings (3) for the seeds, is provided with a magazine (12) disposed over the agitator mechanism (7) for holding seed disinfectant. The magazine (12) has outlet openings (15) and is equipped with a stirring mechanism (16).

Abstract: A mixing and conveying apparatus for dry materials, such as granules and powders, which mixes these materials uniformly in desired proportions and conveys them after mixing to desired elevated locations such as feed or storage containers, or the intakes of processing machines. The apparatus includes first and second auger conveyors which are positioned parallel to one another and extend generally in an upright direction. The first auger conveyor has an inlet at the lower end thereof and an outlet near the upper end thereof. The second auger conveyor has its outlet near the upper end thereof. A chamber connects the outlet of the first auger conveyor with the inlet of the second auger conveyor and this chamber extends on an incline between the conveyors. An opening is provided into the chamber for the introduction of additional materials which mix with the first material by gravity before the comingled materials reach the inlet of the second auger conveyor.

Abstract: The specification discloses a conveyor apparatus for combining programmed amounts of materials. The apparatus includes a conduit horizontally supported by a frame. The conduit has a plurality of inlet openings along the side for receiving the materials to be combined and a discharge orifice at one end for discharging the materials. A plurality of metering dispensers, each having a discharge opening, communicate with the inlet openings in the conduit in order to dispense a programmed amount of materials into the conduit. A cylindrical conveying piston is slidably positioned within the conduit, and moves along the conduit to move the materials within the conduit to the outlet orifice. The metering dispensers include a material sweep rotatably positioned at the bottom opening of a storage hopper. A distributor ring is positioned beneath the hopper opening and rotates with a cylindrical metering surface.