Patents Assigned to Dynamic Air Inc.
  • Patent number: 10882690
    Abstract: A conveying system for conveying a conveyable material from a hopper where the system includes a fluid port located below the hopper outlet and in a vertical flow path into hopper outlet that can be momentarily opened for an on the go release of a charge of compressed air directly upward into the hopper outlet and into the underside of the bridge in the hopper to either disintegrate or unlock the bridged particles from each other thereby causing the bridged material to fall into the hopper outlet and into the conveying system where the material can be transported to a remote location or to remove any material that may be adhering to the wall during an emptying phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: James Steele
  • Patent number: 9551423
    Abstract: A lightweight butterfly valve having a disk maintained in a fixed position on a compound shaft through an interlocking relation ship between each of the individual shafts of the compound shaft and the disk as the disk is moveable between an open or closed position with the butterfly valve may having other features such as an electric drive to quickly rotate the compound shaft to provide for rapid opening and closing the butterfly valve, a disk position indicator and a shaft stop to prevent the disk from being driven past a full open condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Hansen
  • Patent number: 8910795
    Abstract: A magnetic separator comprising a vibratory conveyor for vibratorily flowing non-ferrous articles and articles containing ferrous material within the magnetic field of a transverse extending magnet to magnetically capture the articles containing the ferrous material while allowing the non-ferrous articles to flow therepast. The magnet is periodically retractable to remove ferrous articles magnetically adhered thereto. The use of a set of transverse extending magnets enables a continuous on-the-go separation of articles containing ferrous material from non-ferrous articles without having to shut down the vibratory conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventors: James Steele, Leonard Williams
  • Patent number: 8607815
    Abstract: A butterfly valve with an undulating sealing surface, which has an inflatable annular seal mounted in a housing. A disk is pivotally mounted in the housing and has an edge with an undulating sealing surface and a peripheral sealing edge. The undulating sealing surface of the disk and a sealing face of the annular seal have non-mating profiles when the valve is in an unsealed condition. Pressure in a chamber proximate the annular seal causes the face of the annular seal to expand and deform and the face forms a high-pressure seal between the sealing ridge and the annular seal. Also includes a method for stopping delivery, of a conduit transportable material through a butterfly valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventors: Robert A. Hansen, Daniel Sabelko
  • Patent number: 8256448
    Abstract: A butterfly valve for handling materials where the temperature of the materials flowing through the butterfly valve can exceed the breakdown temperature of the sealing member with the butterfly valve inhibiting contact of hot transportable materials with the sealing member to isolate the hot transportable materials from the sealing member. Cooling conduits maintain at least portions of the valve that contacts the sealing member at a temperature below the breakdown temperature of the sealing member to prevent seal failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Steele
  • Patent number: 7954645
    Abstract: A vibratory plate screen having a first end for quickly mounting in a vibrator housing, an intermediate region with openings therein and a securement end that allows one to quickly secure a vibratory plate screen in a vibratory housing. In addition, the screen is sufficiently flexible to enable one to mount the vibrator screen in a curved condition or stressed condition so that the inherent tensile strength of the material assists in holding the vibratory plate screen in position. A further feature of the invention is the quick removal and securement of the vibratory plate screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Kraus
  • Patent number: 7467716
    Abstract: A vibratory plate screen having a first end for quickly mounting in a vibrator housing, an intermediate region with openings therein and a securement end that allows one to quickly secure a vibratory plate screen in a vibratory housing. In addition, the screen is sufficiently flexible to enable one to mount the vibrator screen in a curved condition or stressed condition so that the inherent tensile strength of the material assists in holding the vibratory plate screen in position. A further feature of the invention is the quick removal and securement of the vibratory plate screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Kraus
  • Patent number: 7267475
    Abstract: A mixing apparatus and method wherein the mixing apparatus includes a hopper having a port piston for periodically retracting to open a fluid port to allow a slug of gas to be quickly injected into the bottom of a hopper, which produces a mixing and blending of the materials in the hopper as the slug of gas flows upward through the materials in the hopper. The port piston periodically closes to seal the fluid port without allowing the material in the hopper to backflow, which would prevent between the port piston and a hopper sealing member from being brought into sealing engagement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Steele
  • Patent number: 6987230
    Abstract: A limit switch having a housing carrying one or more components that are individually field replaceable by an operator so that an operator can make an on-the-go field repair any faulty component in the limit switch. The field replaceable components can be frictionally or mechanically secured by a finger operable latch or the like so that an operator can remove and quickly replace a faulty component while the limit switch is connected a pneumatic conveying system or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: Robert A. Hansen
  • Patent number: 6959913
    Abstract: An actuator having a set of slidable pistons including sliding regions with the sliding regions including at least one wear member supported by a resilient member and a second wear member laterally spaced from the first wear member with a lubrication reservoir located therebetween for maintaining the wear members in lubricated sliding engagement with the cylindrical walls of the housing to limit the need to replace or repair the actuator. In order to provide ingress and egress of fluid from the chambers within the actuator a channel passage extends along the back side of the extension of the piston to permit quick venting of fluid therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: Robert A. Hansen
  • Publication number: 20040251445
    Abstract: An actuator having a set of slidable pistons including sliding regions with the sliding regions including at least one wear member supported by a resilient member and a second wear member laterally spaced from the first wear member with a lubrication reservoir located therebetween for maintaining the wear members in lubricated sliding engagement with the cylindrical walls of the housing to limit the need to replace or repair the actuator. In order to provide ingress and egress of fluid from the chambers within the actuator a channel passage extends along the back side of the extension of the piston to permit quick venting of fluid therefrom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Publication date: December 16, 2004
    Applicant: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: Robert A. Hansen
  • Publication number: 20040233776
    Abstract: A mixing apparatus and method wherein the mixing apparatus includes a hopper having a port piston for periodically retracting to open a fluid port to allow a slug of gas to be quickly injected into the bottom of a hopper, which produces a mixing and blending of the materials in the hopper as the slug of gas flows upward through the materials in the hopper. The port piston periodically closes to seal the fluid port without allowing the material in the hopper to backflow, which would prevent between the port piston and a hopper sealing member from being brought into sealing engagement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2003
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Applicant: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Steele
  • Patent number: 6735841
    Abstract: A method of connecting pipes in a fluid-tight end-to-end relationship and a universal pipe coupler that maintain the pipe ends proximate one another as the coupler simultaneously aligns the ends of the pipes and draws the pipes into a fluid tight sealing relationship with the universal pipe coupler colorable with frictional engaging collars or fixedly engaging collars to hold the pipe in position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Steele
  • Patent number: 6417464
    Abstract: An attachment for a feeder conveyor with the attachment comprising an angularly positionable gate that is angularly postionable within the trough of a feeder with the postionable gate having a secondary metering outlet so that when the postionable gate is in the down position it partially close off the material flow path within the feeder while allowing only a portion of the solid materials in the material flow path to pass therethrough to thereby extend the range at which material can be controllable and uniformly delivered from the feeder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Dynamic Air, Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Steele
  • Patent number: 6364520
    Abstract: A conduction mixer having a hopper for receiving a material to be mixed, a mixing member mounted in the hopper and movable in the hopper to thereby mix the material in the hopper and a source of heat transfer fluid, connected to the mixing member to direct the heat transfer fluid through the mixing member to enable the mixing member to simultaneously mix material and conductively transfer heat between the heat transfer fluid and the material to be mixed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Steele
  • Patent number: 6305412
    Abstract: A pressure relief valve that includes a sealing arrangement with a cantilevered seal that prevents fluid from escaping from a system if the differential pressure is only slightly positive yet permits fluid to be released from the system if the internal system pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure differential. In a further embodiment, the pressure relief valve includes a further scaling arrangement with a further cantilevered seal, which is normally closed, but if the internal system pressure should decrease below the external pressure a predetermined amount the second scaling arrangement opens to allow fluid into the system to thereby equalize the pressure and thereby prevent collapse of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Steele
  • Patent number: 6074136
    Abstract: A multi-port pneumatic switch having a drive system including a motor and a gear reduction box that rotates a rotatable plate which carries a rotateable conduit having an offset end and a non-offset end with the offset end postionable into precise flow alignment with any of a plurality of outlet conduits through the coaction of a photoelectric alignment system that detects a light beam reflection from a reflector on the rotatable plate to immediately shut the power to the drive system and thereby stop further forward rotation of the rotatable plate. With the cessation of power to the drive system a pivotal arm swings into engagement with a radial stop on the rotatable plate to lock the rotatable plate from further forward rotation while the drive system which is powered through a gear reduction drive functions as brake to prevent back rotation of the rotatable plate once the power is shut off to the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Steele
  • Patent number: 6030152
    Abstract: A pneumatic switch having a wiper seal to inhibit material from escaping from a pneumatic conveying line during a switching process and to maintain the pneumatic conveying line in a closed condition to prevent contamination of the contents of the pneumatic conveying line and an inflatable seal to seal around a pneumatic conveying line with the pneumatic switch including a movable housing that is moveable with respect to a second pneumatic conveying line. The movable housing bearing is carried by a movable plate that allows one to position or reposition the pneumatic conveying line with respect to another conveying line to thereby divert material from one conveying line to another conveying line while an inflatable seal allows one to seal and reseal around the pneumatic conveying line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: Dynamic Air, Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Steele
  • Patent number: 6007234
    Abstract: A fluid valve and bin aerator for discharging fluid into a chamber while preventing backflow of fluid through the fluid valve with the fluid valve including a resilient member having a set of annular sealing lips located in concentric alignment and at an angle to a sealing surface to provide lips that will cantilever away from the sealing surface and unseal if the pressure on the interior of the fluid valve is greater than on the exterior of the valve to allow fluid to be discharged from the valve, and will cantilever against the sealing surface if the pressure on the exterior of the valve is greater than the pressure on the inside of the valve to seal the fluid valve and inhibit backflow through the fluid valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: Dynamic Air, Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Steele
  • Patent number: 5921369
    Abstract: A replaceable liner for installation in a material handling system where materials normally accumulate on an interior of a material handling apparatus, the liner characterized by being sufficiently large so that the liner is externally supported in a first normal direction when the liner is in a working condition, the liner characterized by being sufficiently strong so as to withstand without tearing a frictional sliding force produced by a material sliding along the liner even though the liner may be sufficiently weak so as not to be capable of supporting and confining the material therein; the liner having a first peripheral region for removably securing the liner in a working condition in a conveying apparatus with the liner further characterized by being sufficiently flexible so that the application of a force in a direction opposite to the normal direction liner causes the liner to flex and bend thereby dislodging any materials accumulated thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Dynamic Air Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Steele