EP0592411B1 - Apparatus for repetitively dispensing a measured volume of liquid - Google Patents

Apparatus for repetitively dispensing a measured volume of liquid Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0592411B1
EP0592411B1 EP91910935A EP91910935A EP0592411B1 EP 0592411 B1 EP0592411 B1 EP 0592411B1 EP 91910935 A EP91910935 A EP 91910935A EP 91910935 A EP91910935 A EP 91910935A EP 0592411 B1 EP0592411 B1 EP 0592411B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
accumulator
chamber
dosing pump
piston
liquid
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP91910935A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0592411A1 (en
Inventor
Stig Lundbäck
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Humanteknik AB
Original Assignee
Humanteknik AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Humanteknik AB filed Critical Humanteknik AB
Publication of EP0592411A1 publication Critical patent/EP0592411A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0592411B1 publication Critical patent/EP0592411B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
    • F04B—POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS
    • F04B43/00—Machines, pumps, or pumping installations having flexible working members
    • F04B43/02—Machines, pumps, or pumping installations having flexible working members having plate-like flexible members, e.g. diaphragms
    • F04B43/021—Machines, pumps, or pumping installations having flexible working members having plate-like flexible members, e.g. diaphragms the plate-like flexible member is pressed against a wall by a number of elements, each having an alternating movement in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the plate-like flexible member and each having its own driving mechanism
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
    • F04B—POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS
    • F04B11/00—Equalisation of pulses, e.g. by use of air vessels; Counteracting cavitation
    • F04B11/005—Equalisation of pulses, e.g. by use of air vessels; Counteracting cavitation using two or more pumping pistons
    • F04B11/0075—Equalisation of pulses, e.g. by use of air vessels; Counteracting cavitation using two or more pumping pistons connected in series
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
    • F04B—POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS
    • F04B13/00—Pumps specially modified to deliver fixed or variable measured quantities

Definitions

  • This invention relates to apparatus for repetitively dispensing a measured volume of liquid and more particularly relates to a dispensing apparatus comprising a dosing piston pump having a dosing pump cylinder and a dosing pump piston which is reciprocable in the dosing pump cylinder and defines together with the dosing pump cylinder a dosing pump chamber having an outlet for the discharge of measured volumes of liquid, and a cyclically operating actuating mechanism for positively driving the dosing pump piston at least in the direction corresponding to contraction of the dosing pump chamber.
  • Dispensing apparatus of this kind have many different applications, and as an illustrative example packaging machines for filling packages with measured volumes or portions of liquid can be taken.
  • the apparatus according to this invention is useful in such packaging machines and accordingly will be described with particular reference to its use as a filling apparatus in a packaging machine.
  • the invention is not limited to this application, which is only to be taken as an illustrative example.
  • Packaging machines for liquid such as for liquid foodstuffs, e.g., milk or the like, are often required to dispense at high rates an accurately measured volume of liquid while meeting stringent hygienic requirements.
  • the volume of the liquid portion to be dispensed to each package and, consequently, the stroke volume of the dosing piston pump may be quite large.
  • the dosing piston pump 13 is disposed side by side with, and suitably immediately adjacent to, the feed piston pump 12. Its piston 26 is movable vertically in a cylinder 27 which is formed in the pump housing 20 and parallel to the cylinder 19.
  • a driving motor 28 drives the piston in the cylinder 27 through a ball bearing screw-and-nut mechanism 29.
  • the movement of the piston 26 of the dosing piston pump 13 is also positive at least in the upward direction, i.e. the direction which corresponds to contraction of the pump chamber 30.
  • the dimension of the transfer passage is substantially smaller, but because of the large width of the passage, its cross-section flow area nevertheless is very large, for example, 15 to 40 % of the cross-section area of the piston 18 of the feed piston pump 12.
  • the length of the transfer passage varies from a minimum at the vertical plane (the plane of Fig. 1) which contains the parallel axes of the two pumps to a maximum on either side of this plane and at some distance from the plane.
  • the valve 14, which controls the transfer of the liquid through the passage 31 from the feed piston pump 12 to the dosing piston pump 13, includes a valve member 35 in the shape of a circular cylindrical sleeve which surrounds the pump piston 26 concentrically and is axially displaceable between a closed position and an open position by means of a two-position valve actuating device comprising three solenoids 36. These solenoids are uniformly spaced circumferentially about the pump piston 26 and act on the lower edge of the valve member 35 through the intermediary of respective push rods 37.
  • a thin, very flexible membrane 42 such as a film of polyurethane, provides a seal between the two pump pistons 18 and 26, on the one hand, and the cylinders 19 and 27, on the other hand.
  • the membrane 42 is sealingly clamped between a top section 40A and a bottom section 40B of the top pump housing part 40, and it overlies the upper edge of the valve member 35, the upper side of the partition 32 and the upper sides of the two pump pistons 18 and 26.
  • the upper side of each of the pump pistons 18 and 26 is formed by an inverted cup-shaped piston cap 18A and 26A, respectively, which is loosely positioned over a piston head 18B, 26B.
  • valve seat 55 which faces away from the pump chamber.
  • a membrane 56 attached to the connector 53 can be pressed against this valve seat by means of an associated valve member 57 to close off the outlet tube 15.
  • a relatively weak compression spring 58 constantly urges the valve member 57 towards the closed position.
  • the closing force on the valve member 57 can be increased substantially by means of a solenoid 59.
  • a control unit 60 associated with the dispensing apparatus controls the pump motors 21 and 28 to cause them to move at a selected frequency and with a selected time-travel characteristic.
  • the control unit 60 continuously senses the position of the pump pistons 18 and 26 by means of motion transducers (not shown) which are connected to the pump pistons.
  • the control unit 60 also controls the solenoids 36 for the valve member 35 in the transfer passage 31, the solenoid 59 for the outlet valve member 57, and the pressure control device 49. Accordingly, the operating cycle of the dispensing apparatus is controlled by the control unit 60, which also includes a selector for setting the dosage or portion volume, weight transducers for measuring the weight of the dispensed portions, etc.
  • a pump or operating cycle of the illustrated dispensing apparatus passes off as follows.
  • the entire flow path for the liquid which the dispensing device transports and dispenses - this path, which extends through the dispensing apparatus, includes the inlet tube 11, the pump chamber 17 of the feed piston pump 12, the transfer passage 31, the pump chamber 30 of the dosing piston pump 13 and finally the outlet tube 15 - is assumed to be filled with liquid, and it is also assumed that the pump has just completed dispensing a liquid portion through the outlet tube 15.
  • the operating cycle described below is commenced by energizing the solenoid 59 to ensure that the valve member 57 is retained in the closed position even when it is subjected to the pressure existing in the inlet tube.
  • the valve member 35 is displaced downwardly to open the transfer passage 31.
  • This movement of the valve member is brought about by the pressure exerted by the liquid on the portion of the membrane 42 which is supported by the valve member.
  • the piston 26 of the dosing piston pump 13 starts moving downwardly to permit filling of the pump chamber 30.
  • the downward movement of the piston 26 can be brought about by the driving motor 28, or at least controlled by this motor, through signals from the control unit 60.
  • the driving motor 21 of the feed piston pump 12 starts driving the piston 18 of the feed piston pump upwardly.
  • the piston 18 thereby displaces the liquid already contained in the pump chamber 17, and at the same time liquid can flow more or less direct from the inlet tube 11 into the pump chamber 30 of the dosing piston pump.
  • the solenoid 59 in cooperation with the relatively weak spring 58 acts to keep the valve member 57 in the outlet tube 15 in the closed position against the action of the pressure of the liquid flowing into the pump chamber 30 so that no liquid can flow out of the pump chamber.
  • the piston 26 When the pump chamber 30 has been filled, the piston 26 is stopped and the valve member 35 is displaced upwardly to the closed position by the solenoids 36. Because the annular cylindrical valve member, the wall of which may be very thin in relation to its diameter, is acted on symmetrically in the radial direction (horizontally) and is loaded vertically downwardly only over a small annular surface, no great force is required to displace the valve member to the closed position. Moreover, the volume of liquid which the valve member 35 displaces as a consequence of its movement is very small.
  • the last-mentioned volume can be largely or completely accommodated by the pump chamber 30 if the final phase of the downward movement of the pump piston 26 is suitably matched with the upward displacement of the valve member 35 to the closed position. Consequently, the displacement of the valve member to the closed position can take place without causing any backflow of liquid to the pump chamber 17 of the feed piston pump.
  • the liquid continues to flow into the pump chamber 17 of the feed piston pump 12.
  • the downward movement which is brought about, or at least controlled, by the driving motor 22 on command from the control unit 60, suitably is initiated simultaneously with, or shortly before, the upward displacement of the valve member 31 to the closed position (in practice, the overpressure of the inflowing liquid causes the motor 22 as well to act as a brake or generator during the downward piston movement).
  • the shock absorbing member 23 on the piston 18 prevents the displacement of the valve member from causing pressure shocks in the inlet tube and the supply conduit connected therewith, or at least can provide an efficient damping of such pressure shocks.
  • the liquid to be dispensed can flow continuously to the dispensing apparatus without being substantially affected in the inlet tube or the supply conduit by the cyclically operating dispensing apparatus. Because the liquid flow from the inlet tube 11 into the pump chamber 30 of the dosing piston pump 13 is virtually free of pressure drop, the dispensing apparatus is also very insensitive to varying pressure of the flow of liquid supplied to the dispensing apparatus. As long as the rate of inflow to the dispensing apparatus is sufficiently large, the dispensing apparatus is thus readily capable of dispensing liquid portions of the predetermined volume at the predetermined rate, even if the pressure on the upstream side of the dispensing apparatus varies in operation of the dispensing apparatus or is different from the intended pressure.
  • This function can also be fulfilled by an arrangement whereby the space which in the illustrated embodiment is formed by the pump chamber 17 is expanded under the action of the pressure of the inflowing liquid against the action of a spring bias of a displaceable wall of the chamber, the contraction of the space then taking place because the energy stored in the spring displaces the wall.
  • the driving motor 21 and the associated ball bearing screw-and-nut mechanism 22 accordingly can be replaced by a spring arrangement which acts on the piston 18 and continuously urges the piston upwardly.
  • a spring arrangement suitably may subject the piston to an upwardly directed force which is substantially independent of the position of the piston over at least the major part of the stroke.
  • the illustrated embodiment including a piston which is positively displaced upwardly may be preferable, because it offers the possibility to arrange for the displacement to take place in accordance with a certain time-travel characteristic under the control by the control unit 60.
  • the just-described amplifying or booster effect on the filling of the pump chamber 30 can also be accomplished, at least partially, in a modification of the illustrated embodiment comprising a positively displaced piston, namely by adding to the feed piston pump 12 a spring arrangement of the above-described kind.
  • the simplest way to realize this addition is to provide in the shock absorbing member 23 such a resiliency that it can serve as the described spring arrangement. In such case, this spring arrangement and the piston 18 jointly effect the transfer of the stored volume of liquid.
  • Those elements of the dispensing apparatus which are contacted by the liquid form a disposable unit which is wholly or partly discarded and exchanged for a new one after it has been used for a certain time, such as for a work shift or some other work period after which the packaging machine equipped with the dispensing apparatus would normally have to be cleaned.
  • these elements are the inlet tube 11, the outlet tube 15, the connector 52 for the inlet tube, the connector 53 (including the membrane 56) for the outlet tube, the top pump housing part 40 with its top section 40A and bottom section 40B, the membrane 42, the piston caps 18A and 26A and the valve member 35.
  • the membrane 42 is secured to the sections 40A and 40B of the top pump housing part 40 by heat sealing or any other suitable method; the just-mentioned sections are made of plastic and likewise joined through heat sealing.
  • the bottom section 40B of the top pump housing part 40 rests on the upper edge of the circumferentially extending wall of the bottom pump housing part such that it is accurately positioned also laterally (horizontally).
  • the partition 32 which separates the pump chambers 17 and 30 is formed by a top portion belonging to the bottom section 40A of the top pump housing part 40 and a lower portion belonging to the bottom pump housing part 41.
  • the first-mentioned portion of the partition rests against the last-mentioned portion, as shown in Fig. 1.
  • the valve member 35 rests on the push rods 37, and the piston caps 18A and 26A overlie the piston heads 18B and 26B as is also shown in Fig. 1.
  • the valve member 47 engages the membrane 56 of the connector 53.
  • the end of the inlet tube 11 which is remote from the connector 52, the inlet end, is also provided with a surrounding protective sleeve 67, which preserves the sterility of the interior surfaces of the disposable unit after the package has been opened.
  • dosing piston pump which is filled from the storage device formed by the feed piston pump. It is also possible, however, to provide the dispensing apparatus with several dosing piston pumps, which are filled through individual transfer passages from a common storage device or feed piston pump in the above-described manner.
  • the dosing piston pumps can then be disposed in different ways in relation to the storage device or feed piston pump, depending on the number of dosing piston pumps and depending on what is suitable in each individual case, having regard to the equipment with which the dispensing apparatus is to be used, such as in a row with the storage device or the feed piston pump positioned to one side of the row, or along a circle or arcuate line.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Reciprocating Pumps (AREA)
  • Loading And Unloading Of Fuel Tanks Or Ships (AREA)
  • Infusion, Injection, And Reservoir Apparatuses (AREA)
  • Devices For Dispensing Beverages (AREA)
  • External Artificial Organs (AREA)
  • Feeding, Discharge, Calcimining, Fusing, And Gas-Generation Devices (AREA)
  • Signal Processing For Digital Recording And Reproducing (AREA)
  • Medicines Containing Plant Substances (AREA)
  • Steroid Compounds (AREA)
  • Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)
  • Sampling And Sample Adjustment (AREA)
EP91910935A 1990-06-07 1991-06-07 Apparatus for repetitively dispensing a measured volume of liquid Expired - Lifetime EP0592411B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE9002050 1990-06-07
SE9002050A SE9002050L (sv) 1990-06-07 1990-06-07 Doseringspump
PCT/SE1991/000411 WO1991019099A1 (en) 1990-06-07 1991-06-07 Apparatus for repetitively dispensing a measured volume of liquid

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0592411A1 EP0592411A1 (en) 1994-04-20
EP0592411B1 true EP0592411B1 (en) 1996-09-04

Family

ID=20379713

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP91910935A Expired - Lifetime EP0592411B1 (en) 1990-06-07 1991-06-07 Apparatus for repetitively dispensing a measured volume of liquid

Country Status (11)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0592411B1 (pt)
JP (1) JPH05507780A (pt)
AT (1) ATE142310T1 (pt)
AU (1) AU660279B2 (pt)
BR (1) BR9106635A (pt)
CA (1) CA2084675A1 (pt)
DE (1) DE69121913T2 (pt)
DK (1) DK0592411T3 (pt)
NO (1) NO924631D0 (pt)
SE (2) SE9002050L (pt)
WO (1) WO1991019099A1 (pt)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB9023552D0 (en) * 1990-10-30 1990-12-12 Domino Printing Sciences Plc A two-stage pump for a continuous ink jet printer
AU4686600A (en) * 1999-04-27 2000-11-10 Michael C. Johnson Dispensing machine with portion control
EP1757807A1 (de) * 2005-08-24 2007-02-28 Mario Voland Mikrodosiersystem
US9217427B2 (en) 2007-03-16 2015-12-22 Robert Bosch Packaging Technology, Inc. Disposable positive displacement dosing system
US9249796B2 (en) 2007-03-16 2016-02-02 Robert Bosch Packaging Technology, Inc. Disposable positive displacement dosing pump

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SE8504362D0 (sv) * 1985-09-20 1985-09-20 Astra Tech Ab Pump med kontinuerligt inflode och pulsativt utflode
SE9002051L (sv) * 1990-06-07 1992-01-07 Astra Tech Ab Ventilanordning och foertraengningspump

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU660279B2 (en) 1995-06-22
WO1991019099A1 (en) 1991-12-12
SE9101745L (sv) 1991-12-08
CA2084675A1 (en) 1991-12-08
NO924631L (no) 1992-12-01
DK0592411T3 (pt) 1997-02-24
NO924631D0 (no) 1992-12-01
EP0592411A1 (en) 1994-04-20
SE9101745D0 (sv) 1991-06-07
DE69121913D1 (de) 1996-10-10
DE69121913T2 (de) 1997-04-03
SE9002050D0 (sv) 1990-06-07
JPH05507780A (ja) 1993-11-04
ATE142310T1 (de) 1996-09-15
AU8096891A (en) 1991-12-31
BR9106635A (pt) 1993-06-08
SE9002050L (sv) 1992-01-07

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US4450981A (en) Precision material filling systems
US6905314B2 (en) Pump having flexible liner and compounding apparatus having such a pump
US5524683A (en) Method and apparatus for filling containers
US5252037A (en) Piston valved vertical pump for particulate materials
WO2005019093A2 (en) Liquid dispenser and flexible bag therefor
EP0592411B1 (en) Apparatus for repetitively dispensing a measured volume of liquid
US4321953A (en) Method of discharging and applying flowable media
US5441392A (en) Apparatus for repetitively dispensing a measured volume of liquid
US4817688A (en) Method and device for driving double bellows pump
JP2966971B2 (ja) 計量装置
EP0334537B1 (en) Bottom-up filler
EP0345602B1 (en) Method and apparatus for minimizing foam in filling cartons
JPH07508821A (ja) マルチダイアフラム貯蔵容器
US4840205A (en) Method and apparatus for dispensing liquids
EP1047616B1 (en) Self-emptying packaging
ES534287A0 (es) Aparato para llenar envases con una cantidad dosificable de producto fluyente.
EP0248514B1 (en) System and method for dispensing metered quantities of a fluid
US3335921A (en) Liquid dispensing apparatus
EP0287287B1 (en) Liquid dispensing unit
WO1990000768A1 (en) Method and apparatus for dosing a fluid
EP1661629B1 (en) Vibratory apparatus for ejecting items
US3430668A (en) Container filling machine head
SU1491767A1 (ru) Устройство дл изготовлени , наполнени и запечатывани пакетов из термосклеивающейс пленки
EP0197575A1 (en) A method and apparatus for dispensing a viscous liquid, using a valve
JP7495740B2 (ja) 充填装置

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 19921211

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AT BE CH DE DK ES FR GB GR IT LI NL SE

17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 19950510

GRAH Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA

GRAH Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA

GRAH Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA

GRAH Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA

GRAA (expected) grant

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: B1

Designated state(s): AT BE CH DE DK ES FR GB GR IT LI NL SE

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: CH

Effective date: 19960904

Ref country code: ES

Free format text: THE PATENT HAS BEEN ANNULLED BY A DECISION OF A NATIONAL AUTHORITY

Effective date: 19960904

Ref country code: LI

Effective date: 19960904

Ref country code: GR

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT

Effective date: 19960904

Ref country code: NL

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT

Effective date: 19960904

Ref country code: AT

Effective date: 19960904

Ref country code: BE

Effective date: 19960904

Ref country code: IT

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRE;WARNING: LAPSES OF ITALIAN PATENTS WITH EFFECTIVE DATE BEFORE 2007 MAY HAVE OCCURRED AT ANY TIME BEFORE 2007. THE CORRECT EFFECTIVE DATE MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE RECORDED.SCRIBED TIME-LIMIT

Effective date: 19960904

REF Corresponds to:

Ref document number: 142310

Country of ref document: AT

Date of ref document: 19960915

Kind code of ref document: T

REF Corresponds to:

Ref document number: 69121913

Country of ref document: DE

Date of ref document: 19961010

ET Fr: translation filed
NLV1 Nl: lapsed or annulled due to failure to fulfill the requirements of art. 29p and 29m of the patents act
REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: DK

Ref legal event code: T3

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: CH

Ref legal event code: PL

PLBE No opposition filed within time limit

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT

26N No opposition filed
PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: GB

Payment date: 19980615

Year of fee payment: 8

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DK

Payment date: 19980619

Year of fee payment: 8

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: SE

Payment date: 19980622

Year of fee payment: 8

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: FR

Payment date: 19980626

Year of fee payment: 8

PGFP Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DE

Payment date: 19980707

Year of fee payment: 8

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: GB

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 19990607

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: SE

Free format text: THE PATENT HAS BEEN ANNULLED BY A DECISION OF A NATIONAL AUTHORITY

Effective date: 19990629

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: FR

Free format text: THE PATENT HAS BEEN ANNULLED BY A DECISION OF A NATIONAL AUTHORITY

Effective date: 19990630

Ref country code: DK

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 19990630

GBPC Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

Effective date: 19990607

EUG Se: european patent has lapsed

Ref document number: 91910935.5

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: DK

Ref legal event code: EBP

PG25 Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]

Ref country code: DE

Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES

Effective date: 20000503

REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: FR

Ref legal event code: ST