MULTIPLE RESERVOIR DEVICE
A multiple reservoir device comprises a storage space for concurrently reserving multiple substances is provided. The device preferably includes an accommodation module (2) and at least two extensible reservoir apparatuses (322) installed in the module. As one reservoir apparatus discharges part or all of the substance therein, the reservoir apparatus (322) contracts and releases space which, previously occupied by the removed substance, is now used for allowing another reservoir apparatus (322) to reserve substance and/or for allowing the accommodation module (2) to store foreign objects.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multiple reservoir device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multiple reservoir device that utilizes extensible reservoir apparatuses to reserve different kinds of material in a same space wherein the space released by removing material from one reservoir apparatus and thereby contracting the reservoir apparatus is used for allowing another reservoir apparatus to reserve substance and/or for storing foreign objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
A common characteristic of conventional reservoir devices is that they have a storage space only either used for storing a substance or left unused. Although some reservoir devices have in their housing a flexible reservoir that bulges and contracts with the amount of substance therein, these devices still have the same above problem; their storage space cannot be exploited to accommodate more substances or any objects that do not belong to the reservoir device. Another commonly seen weakness is that these devices have a fixed volume housing for accommodating the reservoir and the substance reserved therein. The possibility of using the same space occupied by the housing to store other objects does not exist, even when the reservoir is empty or only minimally filled. These problems, therefore, lead to a low flexibility of using space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA multiple reservoir device comprises a storage space for concurrently reserving multiple substances is provided. The device preferably includes an accommodation module (2) and at least two extensible reservoir apparatuses (3R) installed in the module. The multiple reservoir device may also comprise a transportation module (4) for transporting substance into and out of a reservoir apparatus (3R). As one reservoir apparatus (3R) discharges part or all of its reserved substance, it contracts and releases the space previously occupied by the removed substance for allowing another reservoir apparatus (3R) to reserve substance and/or for allowing the accommodation module (2) to store objects. The multiple reservoir device may further comprise a processor (412) for processing substance before it is reserved or discharged. A rotating means (35) may be added for rotating the reservoir apparatuses (3R) to, for example, mix and blend reserved substances. The accommodation module (2) may also be made extensible so that it has a relatively contracted form while its storage space is not fully occupied. This therefore offers the possibility of releasing room for more flexible use of space.
It is noted that the number of the extensible reservoir apparatuses in each of the following embodiments is for illustrative purposes and can be changed; features from different embodiments may be employed in combination. It is further noted that throughout this text and the appended claims, for purposes of clarity and consistency, the term “storage” is used to describe features regarding the accommodation module 2, and the verb “store” and its verbals are used to refer to the functions thereof; the term “reservoir” is used to designate components of the reservoir module 3, and the verb “reserve” and its verbals are used to refer to the functions thereof; the term “processor” may be interpreted to include, but not be limited to, a mixer, a grinder, a filter, and a blender, for example; the meaning of the verb “contract” and its other word formations, while used to refer to the functions of the reservoir 3RR, may be interpreted to include the meaning of the verb “collapse” and its other word formations.
The multiple reservoir device according to the present invention includes an accommodation module 2 that can take various shapes and forms such as, but not limited to, a luggage and a tank; a reservoir module 3 that is installed in the housing 2H of the accommodation module 2 and has at least two extensible reservoir apparatuses 3R for reserving substances; and a transportation module 4 comprising a pumping means 4P for transporting substances into and out of the reservoir apparatuses 3R. Each of the reservoir apparatuses 3R has a reservoir capacity that can exploit all the storage space of the accommodation module 2, and has a reservoir 3RR that may be made of materials such as, but not limited to, rubber, plastic, and balloon which are collapsible, resilient, and/or airtight. The reservoir 3RR can be so made that, whether reserving substance, it always contracts to a minimum possible size without applying any external force thereto. (In the embodiments hereinafter, instead of 2H, the numbers 21, 22, 23, and 24 are used to designate housings; instead of 3R, the numbers 31, 32, 33, and 34 are used to designate reservoir apparatuses; instead of 3RR, the numbers 31a, 31b, 31c, 321, 324, 331, and 341 are used to designate reservoirs; instead of 4P, the numbers 411, 413, 426 and 43 are used to designate pumping means.)
Referring to
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In the case that the reserved substance needs to be processed (e.g., mixed, ground, pulverized, blended, filtered, etc.) before being transported out of the device, a processor 412 connected to the pumping means 411 with the pipes 312 can be added, and in the case that two substances need to be mixed, for example, and reserved before being sent out, a reservoir 31c (not depicted) can be added such that the substances withdrawn from the reservoirs 31a and 31b are mixed by the processor 412 and pumped into the reservoir 31c. Because the total volume of the reserved substances does not change, the multiple reservoir device can process them and simultaneously reserve them using the same storage space. The same processor 412 can be added to every of the following embodiments and will not be repeated hereafter.
In this embodiment, the housing 21 can take the form of an extensible luggage, thus adding flexibility to the volume of the present invention's storage space. As mechanisms for extending and contracting an extensible luggage are commonly seen and easy to achieve, they will not be described herein.
Referring to
The housings of the accommodation module 2 in the following embodiments can all be made extensible as those mentioned above; therefore, the detail regarding this feature will not be repeated hereinafter.
A further embodiment of a multiple reservoir device according to the present invention is shown in
Referring to
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The reservoir 341, whose left and right rims are sealed to the sidewall of the reservoir base 342 and the rim of the reservoir board 343 respectively, is sandwiched between the reservoir base 342 and the reservoir board 343. The vent 344 is installed on the sidewall and is opened only when one of the nozzles 431 of the pumping means 43 protrudes to insert therein.
The turntable 353 of a reservoir apparatus 34 is attached to the reservoir base 342 thereof; the rollers 351 are installed along the rims of the reservoir base 342 and the reservoir board 343. The rollers 351, along with the turntable 353, are used for allowing the reservoir apparatus 34 to rotate and move back and forth freely without rubbing its other parts against the components of other modules. The motor roller 352 included in the rotating means 35 is installed on the sidewall and is used for rotating the reservoir apparatus 34 by rolling itself against the sidewall 243 to help process the substance therein. To better achieve the function of the motor roller 352, the rotating means 35 may use a remote controller (not depicted), which may be included in the programmable logic controller (PLC) C mentioned bellow, to control the motor roller 352. Thus one reservoir apparatus 34 can rotate individually without affecting others. The spaces for accommodating the rollers 351 and the motor roller 352 can be easily partitioned and sealed out within the interior space along the rims of the base 342 and the reservoir board 343 such that the exterior configuration is that shown in
To pump substance into and out of a reservoir apparatus 34, the pumping means 43 and the motor roller 352 function together so that the vent 344 is rotated to the bottom first, then one nozzle 431 is positioned in the vent 344, and then the pumping means 43 starts to pump. These functions can be achieved by using sensors, motors, and a programmable logic controller C (not depicted), the detail of which will not be described herein however.
A further embodiment of a multiple reservoir device according to the present invention is shown in
While several embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, various modifications and improvements can be made by those skilled in the art. The embodiments of the present invention are therefore described in an illustrative, but not restrictive, sense. It is intended that the present invention may not be limited to the particular forms as illustrated, and that all additions, deletions, and modifications which maintain the spirit and scope of the present invention are within the scope as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A multiple reservoir device comprising:
- an accommodation module comprising a housing having a storage space;
- a reservoir module installed in the accommodation module comprising at least two extensible reservoir apparatuses, each having an extensible reservoir for reserving substance, the reservoir apparatuses having a relatively contracted form when the reservoir is empty and a relatively extended form when the reservoir is at least partially filled; and
- a transportation module comprising a pumping means for connecting to the reservoir apparatuses and transporting substances into and out of the reservoir apparatuses.
2. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, wherein the accommodation module comprises a mobile partition for separating a storage space of the housing into a storage space for storing reservoir apparatuses and a storage space for storing foreign objects.
3. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 2, wherein the housing is an extensible housing having an extensible storage space.
4. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is an extensible housing having an extensible storage space.
5. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir always contracts to a minimum possible size without applying any external force thereto.
6. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir is a bellows.
7. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, comprising a positioning means for connecting the pumping means to the reservoir apparatuses.
8. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, comprising a processor for processing substances being transported into and out of the reservoirs.
9. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, comprising a rotating means for rotating the reservoir apparatuses.
10. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 9, wherein each of the reservoir apparatuses comprises a reservoir sandwiched between a round reservoir base and a round reservoir board.
11. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 10, wherein the rotating means comprises a motor roller and a plurality of rollers installed on the round reservoir base and the round reservoir board.
12. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 10, wherein each apparatus comprises a vent for allowing substance to pass therethrough to enter and leave an extensible reservoir.
13. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 10, wherein the rotating means comprises:
- a rotating rod and a plurality of rolling rods, for supporting and rotating the reservoir apparatuses; and
- a motor, for turning the rotating rod to rotate the reservoir apparatuses.
14. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir apparatuses are mobile.
15. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 14, wherein each of the reservoir apparatuses comprises an extensible hose connected to the transportation module.
16. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, wherein the pumping means is mobile.
17. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 16, wherein the accommodation module comprises a slide groove for allowing the pumping means to move back and forth therein.
18. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 16, comprising a positioning means for connecting the pumping means to the reservoir apparatuses.
19. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 18, the positioning means comprising at least one protrusible nozzle for connecting to the reservoir apparatuses.
20. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, comprising a controller for controlling the reservoir module and the transportation module.
21. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is a luggage.
22. The multiple reservoir device according to claim 1, wherein each of the reservoir apparatuses has a reservoir capacity that can exploit all the storage space of the housing.
23. A method of transporting substance into and out of a reservoir comprising the steps of:
- a. positioning the vent of the reservoir to the bottom of the reservoir space thereof;
- b. connecting the pumping means to the vent; and
- c. pumping substance into and out of the reservoir through the vent.
24. A method of transporting substance into a reservoir comprising the steps of:
- a. positioning the vent of the reservoir to the top of the reservoir space thereof;
- b. connecting the pumping means to the vent; and
- c. pumping substance into the reservoir through the vent.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 28, 2009
Publication Date: Nov 8, 2012
Inventor: Yann-bor Twu (Taipei)
Application Number: 13/499,670
International Classification: E03B 5/00 (20060101);