Patents by Inventor William D. Flavelle

William D. Flavelle has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10823169
    Abstract: A pump fluid driving apparatus includes a housing having a chamber, with two gears mounted within the chamber. The housing includes a first rounded wall section and a second rounded wall section, the first and second rounded wall sections defining at least a portion of the chamber. The gears have teeth located about their respective peripheries and operatively positioned with the teeth of the first gear and the teeth of the second gear intermeshed. The teeth include slotted teeth and solid teeth arranged with uniform spacing in a repeating pattern about the periphery of each of the gears, with each of the slotted teeth having a vane slot and a radially extending vane extending from the vane slot, and each radially extending vane being movable within the respective vane slot and being configured to contact the respective first or second rounded wall sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Roper Pump Company
    Inventors: William D. Flavelle, Michael Andrew Ingram
  • Publication number: 20180202437
    Abstract: A pump fluid driving apparatus includes a housing having a chamber, with two gears mounted within the chamber. The housing includes a first rounded wall section and a second rounded wall section, the first and second rounded wall sections defining at least a portion of the chamber. The gears have teeth located about their respective peripheries and operatively positioned with the teeth of the first gear and the teeth of the second gear intermeshed. The teeth include slotted teeth and solid teeth arranged with uniform spacing in a repeating pattern about the periphery of each of the gears, with each of the slotted teeth having a vane slot and a radially extending vane extending from the vane slot, and each radially extending vane being movable within the respective vane slot and being configured to contact the respective first or second rounded wall sections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Inventors: William D. Flavelle, Michael Andrew Ingram
  • Patent number: 9022761
    Abstract: Elliptical or oval shaped gears of a positive displacement gear pump are disclosed. The gears have specially designed teeth at the ends of the gears' major and minor diameter axes. For example the teeth at the ends regions of the major diameter axes include radially extending wipers or vanes that extend and run against the circular gear case bore walls to seal liquid slip paths at radial running clearance areas between the tips of the gear teeth and the case bores. The pump may also have moveable wearplates on one or both sides of the gears that may be loaded laterally to seal liquid slip paths at lateral running clearance areas between the side faces of the gears and the pump faceplate and backplate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Roper Pump Company
    Inventor: William D. Flavelle
  • Publication number: 20140271313
    Abstract: Toothed gears and lobed gears intermesh to create large volume pockets in gear sets of a given size. The pockets are larger than the pockets that exist in current tooth or lobe pumps and provide the benefit of a pump that better handles shear sensitive liquids. Preferably, the profiles of the teeth and of the lobes are involute-shaped to provide rolling contact and a fixed pressure angle between the teeth and lobes during engagement. The toothed gears and lobe gears improve upon standard spur and helical gear designs by omitting alternate teeth on the standard toothed gears and filling in corresponding gaps on the mating standard lobed gears. Additional tooth and lobed gear rotors may be added in tandem as additional pairs of gears to the shafts and circumferentially offset to provide driving tooth engagement between at least one pair of the toothed and lobed rotors at every point around the rotational circumference of the rotors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventor: William D. Flavelle
  • Publication number: 20140056746
    Abstract: Elliptical or oval shaped gears of a positive displacement gear pump are disclosed. The gears have specially designed teeth at the ends of the gears' major and minor diameter axes. For example the teeth at the ends regions of the major diameter axes include radially extending wipers or vanes that extend and run against the circular gear case bore walls to seal liquid slip paths at radial running clearance areas between the tips of the gear teeth and the case bores. The pump may also have moveable wearplates on one or both sides of the gears that may be loaded laterally to seal liquid slip paths at lateral running clearance areas between the side faces of the gears and the pump faceplate and backplate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: ROPER PUMP COMPANY
    Inventor: William D. Flavelle
  • Patent number: 8316874
    Abstract: A fluid metering or pumping device includes multiple pumping or metering elements that are connected so that they all operate together, moving in the same direction and at the same speed. The multiple pumping or metering elements are intended for use at high pressures where the strain from the pressure might distort the walls of the elements, and interfere with their pumping or metering accuracy. These elements are enclosed in, but preferably not directly connected to a pressure vessel that would contain the high operating pressure, leaving the pumping or metering element housings to only contain the pressure rise or fall that occurs within that element. The pumping or metering elements are connected to a support structure that also penetrates the pressure vessel, and contains an outlet port for that element. The pressure vessel connects the elements, and serves as an intake plenum for all of the elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Roper Pump Company
    Inventor: William D. Flavelle
  • Publication number: 20090266422
    Abstract: A fluid metering or pumping device includes multiple pumping or metering elements that are connected so that they all operate together, moving in the same direction and at the same speed. The multiple pumping or metering elements are intended for use at high pressures where the strain from the pressure might distort the walls of the elements, and interfere with their pumping or metering accuracy. These elements are enclosed in, but preferably not directly connected to a pressure vessel that would contain the high operating pressure, leaving the pumping or metering element housings to only contain the pressure rise or fall that occurs within that element. The pumping or metering elements are connected to a support structure that also penetrates the pressure vessel, and contains an outlet port for that element. The pressure vessel connects the elements, and serves as an intake plenum for all of the elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2009
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Applicant: ROPER PUMP COMPANY
    Inventor: William D. Flavelle
  • Patent number: 6857441
    Abstract: A fluid metering device that preferably includes a substantially linear series of intermeshing gears. The fluid metering device includes an inlet port adjacent the intermeshing portion of each pair of gears within the series adjacent the point at which the pair of gears diverge. The device further includes an discharge port adjacent the intermeshing portion of each pair of gears within the series adjacent the point at which the pair of gears converge. The device is configured to convey liquid from a main inlet stream of liquid, through the inlet ports, and out the discharge ports at substantially equal rates. The device preferably includes a pressure balance inlet port and a pressure balance discharge port adjacent the exterior portion of each end gear within the series of gears for balancing forces exerted on the end gear by liquid passing through the various inlet and discharge ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: Roper Pump Company
    Inventor: William D. Flavelle
  • Publication number: 20020166586
    Abstract: A fluid metering device that preferably includes a substantially linear series of intermeshing gears. The fluid metering device includes an inlet port adjacent the intermeshing portion of each pair of gears within the series adjacent the point at which the pair of gears diverge. The device further includes an discharge port adjacent the intermeshing portion of each pair of gears within the series adjacent the point at which the pair of gears converge. The device is configured to convey liquid from a main inlet stream of liquid, through the inlet ports, and out the discharge ports at substantially equal rates. The device preferably includes a pressure balance inlet port and a pressure balance discharge port adjacent the exterior portion of each end gear within the series of gears for balancing forces exerted on the end gear by liquid passing through the various inlet and discharge ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2002
    Publication date: November 14, 2002
    Inventor: William D. Flavelle