Abstract: A gas/liquid separator for separating an inlet stream of a mixture of a gas and a liquid into a substantially liquid stream and a substantially gaseous stream, the separator having a controllable, variable liquid level, includes an elongate cylindrical body portion having first and second closed ends which define a separation chamber, tangentially oriented inlet and outlet nozzles positioned near the ends of the vessel, and an overflow-discharge nozzle extending from inside of the separation chamber and longitudinally exiting from the separator through the inlet end, proximate to the inlet nozzle. The separator further includes a vent subassembly positioned proximate to the overflow-discharge nozzle. The subassembly includes a nozzle in flow communication with the separation chamber, and a flow-stop device operable between an open condition and a closed condition. The flow-stop device is positioned on the nozzle.

Abstract: A system for cleaning elongated objects is disclosed. The system utilizes an infeed conveyor without pusher flights and an outfeed conveyor with pusher flights. The conveyors are arranged to form an angular section near the bottom of the tank. A flip back plate rejects objects from the outfeed conveyor so that the objects are continuously circulated from the bottom of the angular section to the top of the angular section.

Abstract: A milk meter (22) has a measuring chamber (40) with an inlet (42) receiving milk from a mammal's teat (24), a discharge chamber (48) having an inlet (50) from the measuring chamber and an outlet (52) discharging the milk to a collection tank (32), a central vertically reciprocal plunger valve (46) opening and closing the outlet of the measuring chamber and communication vacuum from the discharge chamber through the plunger to the measuring chamber, and a level sensing float (56) in the measuring chamber and circumscribing the plunger valve and vertically reciprocal therealong.

Abstract: Each open liquor bottle in a tavern has a plastic spout with a magnetically operable valve to control the flow of liquor from the bottle. The spouts were fabricated with three integral rings extending around the spout with each ring being either plastic or metal to form a pattern that encodes information identifying a characteristic of the bottle. An annular actuator reads the pattern of rings and responds by producing a magnetic field that opens the spout valve to dispense the liquor. Three rings allow up to eight different classes of characteristics to be encoded. To increase that number of classes a supplemental metal ring is attached around some of the spout adjacent to one end of the actuator when the spout is inserted therein. The actuator is modified to sense presence of the supplemental metal ring on a spout. Adding another ring to certain spouts permits the number of classes of characteristics to be doubled without requiring replacement of existing spouts in a tavern.

Abstract: A milking parlor of the type having an entry gate has a plurality of sequencing gates mounted on pedestals at substantially the same height with the gates overlapping, but not touching. A biasing arrangement that urges the sequencing gate to a closed position is mounted coaxially and inside the pedestal supporting the sequencing gate. A wedge-shaped positioning device is mounted on the rotating gate to urge the cows into the proper milking position, and an automated system detects the end of the milking process and the positioning of the last cow to automatically open and close the entry gate.

Abstract: A separate spout is attached to each open bottle in a tavern with each spout having a magnetically operable valve to control the flow of liquor from the bottle. A transponder is provided in each spout transmits an unique identification code. To pour liquor from a bottle, an actuator is placed over the spout. An interrogator coupled to an interrogator coil in the actuator for sending an activation signal to the transponder and thereafter reads the identification code. A memory provides a group of storage locations for each of the plurality of spouts. The group of storage locations for a given spout contains the identification code for that spout and data regarding a total volume dispensed from a particular bottle to which the given spout is attached, a quantity present in the particular bottle when full, and a price per volume unit. A controller energizes a valve operating coil in the actuator to open a valve in response to the interrogator reading the identification code from a spout.

Abstract: A milking cluster air fork (120) has outlets (122, 124, 126, 128) directing air tubes (80, 82, 84, 86) laterally inwardly of respective milk tubes (58, 60, 62, 64), rather than outwardly, to provide a narrower profile, such that if the dairy animal (22) lifts her rear leg (76, 78) and steps forward, the dew claw (112, 114) on the inside of her leg will not hook an air tube (80, 82, 84, 86) and pull the teat cup (50, 52, 54, 56) off the teat (26, 28, 30, 32).

Abstract: A meat product pasteurizer (20) includes a first conveyor (21) transporting an already-cooked and packaged meat product (22) to a loading station (24), a pasteurizing processing chamber (26) including a fluid media heating zone (28), a void zone (30), and a fluid media chilling zone (32), a second conveyor (60) transporting the meat product (22) from the loading station (24) through the heating zone (28), then through the void zone (30), then through the chilling zone (32) to an unloading station (62), a third conveyor (64) transporting the meat product (22) from the unloading station (62) to a blow-off station (66) for removing surface fluid from the packaged meat product (22).

Abstract: A food processing system (20) includes a plurality of openable and closeable food product molds (32, 34) carried by a continuous serpentine conveyor (24) through a processing chamber (22) from a loading station (28) to an unloading station (30) and then returned by the conveyor from the unloading station to the loading station. An automatic mold opener (62) opens the mold at the unloading station. An automatic mold closer (64) closes the mold at the loading station, eliminating mold handling and storage by operating personnel.

Abstract: A liquid dispensing method and apparatus has a system with new individual dispensing heads connectible one each to a plurality of different liquid bottles, i.e. liquor, and a remote dispensing data receiver and computer that receives data from each head. Each head has structure for being secured to a bottle, a liquid bore and an air vent, and one or more of the following features and functions: an electronic dispensing timer, a stop pour annunciator, a magnetically latched dispensing control valve, an electronic bottle lock a radio transmitter and antenna, an electronic fractional pour annunciator, programmable dispensing control, a micro-processor computer, a data storage, a data I/O structure, and structure and function for uniquely electrically identifying each head and liquid.

Abstract: A liquid dispensing method and apparatus has a system with new individual dispensing heads connectible one each to a plurality of different liquid bottles, i.e. liquor, and a remote dispensing data receiver and computer that receives data from each head. Each head has structure for being secured to a bottle, a liquid bore and an air vent, and one or more of the following features and functions: an electronic dispensing timer, a stop pour annunciator, a magnetically latched dispensing control valve, an electronic bottle lock, a radio transmitter and antenna, an electronic fractional pour annunciator, programmable dispensing control, a micro-processor computer, a data storage, a data I/O structure, and structure and function for uniquely electrically identifying each head and liquid.

Abstract: A food product processing transport system (300) includes an overhead transport rail (302) having first and second runs (356 and 358, 390 and 392), a food product carrier (310) suspended from the rail and defining a vertical plane, a drive mechanism (326) for advancing the carrier along the rail, and a turning arrangement (354, 394) between the first and second runs and changing the relative orientation between the vertical plane defined by the carrier and the direction of advancement of the carrier. The carrier includes a slider block (312) slidable along the rail.

Abstract: A controller for a beverage tap has a base with a fastener for attaching the base to the beverage tap. A pneumatically-operated cylinder is mounted on the base and has a piston which when the cylinder is pressurized forces a lever of the tap into an open position. A cover releasably extends around five sides of the base and encloses the cylinder. A torsion spring is attached inside the cover to bias the lever into a closed position when the cylinder is not pressurized. A plurality of push button switches are mounted on the cover for operating the controller. A first electrical connector is attached to the base and has two guides that have conical apertures. A second electrical connector is movably attached to the cover, and includes two pins located within apertures of the two guides. The first and second electrical connectors have contacts formed by a pair of tines. Each pair of tines of one electrical connector slide in between and mesh perpendicularly with a pair of tines of the other electrical connector.

Abstract: A food processing system (10) includes a first conveyor (12) having sprocket driven chains (14 and 16) extending along a loading run (26) and a return run (28) at a loading station (80). A support bar (52) extends transversely between the chains (14 and 16), and has a first movable hook (62) and a second stationary hook (64) mounted thereto. A food stick (74) for supporting a food product (76), such as a string of hot dogs, has a leading end (72) engageable with the movable first hook (62) for manually pushing the first hook along the support bar, and a trailing end (82) engageable with the stationary second hook. A second conveyor (102) at a transfer station (114) has spaced parallel sprocket driven chains (104 and 48) for transporting the food stick (74) and food product (76) to a processing station for cooking, smoking, chilling, etc.

Abstract: A top unloading milking claw (10) includes a high-impact transparent plastic lower bowl (12) and a stainless steel upper top (14). The claw has a plurality of deflectors (50, 52, 54, 56) on the inner surface (48) of the lower bowl (12) and spaced radially outwardly of the vertical riser outlet tube (28) by an annular gap (58) therebetween. The deflectors (50, 52, 54, 56) reduce tangential velocity of milk flow along the inner surface (48) of the bowl (12) by intercepting such tangential milk flow and redirecting the intercepted milk flow inwardly and downwardly along the inner surface (48) toward the bottom of the bowl (12) to fill the space (38) between the lower end (36) of the outlet tube (28) and the bottom of the bowl (12), to maximize the air pressure differential across the surface of the milk, between the ambient air pressure within the claw and the vacuum within the outlet tube, to maximize milk flow capacity of the claw ( 10).

Abstract: A food processing system (100) includes a food processing chamber (102) for processing a food product, a serpentine conveyor (104) having a plurality of parallel flights connected at their ends by U-shaped bends, and a recirculation system for supplying a processing medium to the chamber and recirculating the processing medium along a closed-loop unidirectional recirculation path having a supply path portion (106) along and parallel to a first set of flights (108), and a return path portion (110) along and parallel to a second set of flights (112). A blower (114) has a high pressure supply side (116) supplying the processing medium to the supply path portion, and a low pressure return side (118) drawing the processing medium from the return path portion.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing a food product. A series of processing cabinets are each provided with an inlet and an outlet in one of the cabinet side walls adjacent an end wall. The product is carried by a series of individual product carriers, which are capable of turning relative to the rail. The carriers pass through the cabinet inlets, and are turned relative to the rail thereafter so as to pass through the cabinets in a closely packed arrangement. As the carriers approach the opposite end wall of the cabinet, the carriers are again turned so as to exit the cabinet in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cabinet.

Abstract: A milking system uses a variable pressure source and varies the pressure supplied to the pulsation chamber along a controllably variable pressure curve of selectable waveshape. Pulsation cycles are shortened by shortening the transition time between pressure levels providing on and off portions of the pulsation cycle. The pulsation chamber is sequenced through different pressure change rates, all during the transition.

Abstract: A herringbone-type milking parlor of the type in which the cow is milked from the side utilizes a rotating gate that moves from a horizontal exit position to a vertical position to urge the cow to exit from the milking stall. The gate stays in this position until a new cow has moved into the milking stall, at which time the gate indexes back to a position short of vertical to engage the brisket of the cow and move it gently back towards the rump rail and into a proper milking position.

Abstract: A livestock sorting system (10) is provided with an entrance (11) having an identification sensor (13-15) for identifying designated livestock passing therethrough, and first and second aisles (18, 20) extending from the entrance. A gate (52) has a first position (FIG. 2) providing communication of the entrance with the first aisle, and a second position (FIG. 3) providing communication of the entrance with the second aisle. An automatic control actuates the gate between the first and second positions in response to the identification sensor.