US2020450A - Triturating, emulsifying, and mixing machine - Google Patents

Description

M. ANDIS Nov. 12, 1935.

TRITURATING, EMULSIFYING AND MIXING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 14, 1935 INVENTOR WM-AN n91 ATTORNEYS Nqv. 12, 1935. I M.-ANDlS 2,020,450

' TRITURATING, EMULSIFYING AND MIXING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1955' 2 Shets-Sheefi 2 v I 112 Q QR a E -w ll INVENTOR ATTORN EY5 Patented Nov. ,12, 1935 PATENT OFFICE TRITUBATING, MIXIN Emmsmrme, AND G MACHINE Mathew Andis, Racine, Wis. Application January 14, 1935, Serial No. 1,634

21 Claims. (Cl. 2591 04) My invention relates to improvements in triturating, emulsifying, and inixing machines, with particular'reference to power driven mechanisms for the treatment of beverages and foods in cups or equivalent portable or adjustable receptacles.

The primary object of my invention is to-provide power driven means for ,mixing liquids, triturating solid and semi-solid materials, mixing them with liquids or liqueform materials, and producing emulsions, while avoiding any tendency .for the more highly resistant materials to interfere with or check the motion of the mixing de vices or impose undue strain upon the driving mechanism.

More particularly stated objects are: to provide means for simultaneously driving a plurality of independently yielding triturating or mixing devices in the same receptacle; to providemean's whereby such a plurality of triturating or mixing devices may be driven ateither the same or different speeds; to provide means whereby triturating or mixing devices having differing characteri'ztics may be simultaneously driven in the same receptacle with diiierent effects upon the materials treated; to provide means whereby such differences in the triturating and mixing devices may determine the relative speeds at which they will be driven; to providemeans whereby such triturating and mixing devices may have relative movement into and out of the materials without splashing or throwing the materials from the receptacle, and to provide means whereby such devices may be utilized to produce a vortex or a plurality of vortices in the materials for the entrainment of air and the production of emul- L sions.

Each of a plurality of triturating heads or mixers may be driven independently from separate sources of power without interference, whereby the mixing heads'may be supported for rotation about convergent axes and utilized to concentrate and project streams of circulating material upon each other along such convergent lines with contacts or interaction of mechanical parts. i I

A collateral object is to provide means whereby convergent and independently yielding mixer shafts may be driven from a common source of power.

A further object is to provide an improved form of mixer head and improved sets of mixer heads which may, if desired,- be of differing diameters or of difierent form, or mode of operation,

although cooperative in bringing about an interaction of streams of circulating material.

Further objects are to provide improved means for presenting materials to the mixing heads,'as-' sociated with means for automatically controlling 5 the means for applying power'to the mixing heads.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing an embodiment of my invention in its preferred form,

I the receptacle carrier being shown in its lowered 10' or retracted position, and partially broken away, with dotted lines indicating its raised position. Figure 2 is a side view of the same, with parts broken away in vertical section.

'Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the 15 base portion, drawn generally to line 33 of Figure 5, and showing the receptacle support in a raised position.

\ Figure 5 is a view of the base as seen from the 1 under side, the pivoted end portions of the lifting arms being shown in section.

Figure 6 is a detail view of an electrical switch associated with the lifting mechanism and 25 adapted to automatically control the operation of the motor or motors.

Figure- '7 is a fragmentary view showing a modified form of construction, by means of which a single motor may be employed to drive a plu rality of convergent independently yielding mixer shafts, the gear housing being shown in section, exposing the gears.

Figure 8 is a similar view indicating a further modification of the type in which a single motor 35 is employed. I r

Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan view-of the structure shown in Figure 8. b

Figure 10 is a detail view showing associated mixer heads of diilering types.

Figure 11 is a similar detail view showing associated mixer heads of the same type but of diflering diameters. V

Figure 12 is a detail view similar to Figures 9 and 10, but showing mixer heads of the same type in reverse position.

. Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the structure shown in Figures 1 to 6, inclusive, a suitable base 20 is provided with a raised frame or standard 2!, to the upper end of which driving motors, preferably electric motors as indicated at 22, are pivoted. The motor casings 22 are formed with flat bearing members 23 into which the reduced threaded ends 24 of the pivot w pins may be screwed to secure the motors to the frame. The outer or headed end of each pivot pin is preferably socketed in a tubular housing 26. Within this housing a compression spring 21 is coiled about the pivot pin, and by outward thrust upon the head of the pin causes the pin to draw the associated bearing member 23 against the opposing face of the frame 2| to frictionall resist tilting movement of themotor.

The motor shafts extend downwardly and preferably convergently. They are provided at their lower ends with mixing heads, each of which may have propeller shaped or helically curved web-like arms 3 I. Each of the arms 3i may also have an upturned triangular projection or flange 32. l

The shafts 30, while preferably normally convergent, are sufliciently separated at their lower ends to avoid the possibility of clashing of mixer heads even though one of the heads may be rotating more rapidly than the other. To prevent the mixer heads from contacting with each other a bracket is interposed between the lower ends of the motor casings 12, and a tension spring 36 may be employed to normally hold the casings in contact with the bracket 35. 'The motor casings being unconnected with the bracket, they are free to swing away from it on their pivotal supports,

subject only to the resistance imposed by the spring 36. Such swinging movements will occur when solid or semi-solid materials are circulating .between the mixer heads, if such materials have sufficiently large to receive the heads 44 of supporting pins 45 carried by a set of slide posts 46. When the supporting pins 45 are engaged in the upper end portions of the slots, set screws 41 may be employed to lock the carrier back wall in position by engagement of the inner ends of the screws 41 underneath the heads 44 of the supporting pins i cup 49, in which the material is presented to the mixer heads. The cup will preferably be made removable but is normally held against accidental release from theshelf by means of an tip-turned shelf flange 50.

The cup 49 may be placed upon the shelf 48 when the carrier is depressed. Thereupon the shelf and cup may be lifted to present the contents of the cup to the mixer heads, this lifting movement being derived from a manually opera able lever 53 connected with a rock shaft 54 which is iournaled in the base portion of the frame and provided with crank arms 55, which carry rollers 56 in operative relation to lifting levers 51. The levers 51 are pivoted to the frame at 58, and their free ends engage underneath the lower ends of the slide posts 46, the levers operating as levers of the third class to lift the posts when the crank arms 55 are swung to the position in which they are illustrated'in Figure 3.

The levers 51 have cam-shaped bearing faces 59 along which the rollers 56 travel, and thecurvature of these bearing faces determines the degree or rate of movement transmitted to the .The carrier has a bottom por-- tion 48 which serves as a supporting shelf for a.

levers 51 to provide slow initial movement followed by acceleration and final retardation and dwell when the rollers move underneath the curved bearing portions 60 of the levers, concentric to rock shaft 54. I

In moving to final supporting position underneath the bearing faces 60 of the levers, the axes of the rollers 56 will be carried slightly across a vertical plane through theaxis of the rock shaft 54 to securely support the levers and the cup 10 carrier in the raised position.

The motors in the casings 12 may be assumed to be electrically driven motors, and their circuits will preferably be opened and closed by a switch which is automatically actuated from the car- 16 rier lifting mechanism above described,'whereby the motor circuits may be closed immediately after the mixer heads have entered the material in the cup. The circuits will then remain closed until the cup carrier is again lowered, whereupon 80 the circuits of the motors will be broken and the mixer heads allowed to come to rest while being withdrawn from the material.

A suitable switch for thus controlling the motors is illustrated in Figure 6. A body of mercury 85 is housed within a tilting cylinder 65. having depending socketed extensions 66 and 61, the lower ends of which receive the terminals 63 and 69 of an electrical circuit, which includes the wind ingsof the motors. A sufficient quantity of mercury is placed in the cylinder 65 to connect the bodies of mercury in the extensions 66 and 61 when the cylinder 65 is in a horizontal position, whereas when the cylinder is tilted to the position in which it is shown in Figure 6, the mercury 35 will fail to cover the intervening ledge 10 and the circuit will therefore be broken. The cylinder 65 and its extensions are preferably formed of glass, and a switch so formed will be durable and operable without destructive arcing.

The cylinder 65 is carried by a mounting H which is pivoted at 12 to a frame supported bracket 13. Awing flange 14 carried by one of the roller supporting arms 55 has an obliquely positioned or cam-shaped lower end 15, adapted,

when moved downwardlyfrom the Figure 6 position, to engage and tilt the mounting II to a position'in which the cylinder 65 is horizontal. This movement will occur while the levers 5'! and the cup carrier are being lifted by swinging lever 53 inwardly, i. e., to the left from its Figure 2 position. When the lever I2 is returned to its Figure 2 position,- the wing flange 14 will be lifted to the dotted line position in that figure. and the mounting II will be returned to its normal tilted or circuit breaking position, as shown in Figure 6. A spring 11 coiled about the pivot pin .12 with one arm engaged with the mounting and the other arm attached to the supporting bracket 13, may assist in this movement, but inasmuch as the wing arm 14 is preferably resilient and has wiping contact with one wall of mounting II, the latter may be positively tilted in both directifns independently 'of the action of the spring I Any suitable means may be employed for driving the mixing heads at differing speeds. In the construction as illustrated in Figures 1 to 6, inclusive, the motors may be assumed to be wound in such a manner as to drive the mixer heads in 70 opposite directions and at diflering speeds. Such control of speed and direction of revolution be-. ing 'zell .known in the art, further illustration or description is deemed unnecessary.

The mixer heads are formed in such a manner 1 as to drive the material downwardly as well as radially. Therefore, if the mixer heads revolve in opposite directions the propelling faces must have reversed curvature in the associated heads.

' er speed than the other, a vortex may be developed whereby air will be rapidly drawn downwardly into the material and the air bubbles dispersed by the operation of the associated mixer to quickly produce an emulsion with the consequent overrun or fluff desired in the mixing of beverages. 5

It is also possible to vary the speed of identical motors by varying the resistance. The resistance may be electrical in the circuit of one of the motors, or it may be mechanical. A brake applied to one of the shafts,a difference in the diameter or character of the mixerheads, (Figures 10, 11, and 13), or a difierence in the resistance which they encounter in the material, will produce relative variations in speed.

In'the constructions as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 the mixer heads will also be driven in opposite directions and the relative diameters of the gear wheels for transmitting-motion from one shaft to the other will determine the relative rates of speed at which the mixer heads will revolve. s

in Figure 7 I have illustrated a modified form of construction in which a single motor 220. drives a pair of mixer shafts 30a and 30a. One' of these shafts is coupled end to end with the motor shaft. and motion is transmitted to the other shaft through the gear wheels 80 and BI,

whichhave hubs mounted in suitable bearings 82 within a suitable gear box 83.. The mixer shafts 30a and 30a extend through a central aperture in the associated gear wheels and their hubs, and the walls of the aperture are conically tapered or reduced in diameter toward the center.

Solid rubber cushions 84, also conically tapered, are forced into these apertures by clamplug-pressure exerted by a flange 85 on the shaft and a nut 86 screwed to the upper end of the shaft, with an interposed washer 81, whereby the shaft is yieldingly. connected with its associated gear wheel. When the lower end of the shaft ispushed from its normal position, a slight compression of one side of the lower rubber cushion, and a corresponding compression of the opposite side of the upper cushion, will result, but the movement of the upper end of the shaft will be almost negligible. Therefore, the rubber'may be sumciently resistant to prevent lateral shaft movement or vibration other than that required to allow solids to pass between the mixer heads.

It will be noted that theshafts 3&0; and 30aextend through slots 88 in the gear housing. Normally the shafts are in substantal contact with the housing at the inner ends of these slots, and this tends to prevent vibration, inasmuch as the only permitted yielding movement is an outwardly swinging movement. Also, the inner ends of the slots serve as stops to prevent any possible secured to the other mixer shaft 30b.

bearing box 92 for the shaft 30b is supported l5 .\driven stream from the left hand mixer.

vibratory movement or swinging movement from allowing the mixer heads to swing into contactwith each other.

Relative modifications in the speeds at which themixer heads will be driven depend upon gear .5

from the" casing by pivot pins indicated at 94. In this form of construction the shaft 30b may swing outwardly in one direction from the shaft 3% upon the pivotal axis 94. A tension spring 95 connects the bearing box with the frame and 20 is adapted to urge the shaft 30?) toward normal position. Inasmuch -as the shaft 30b may be swung from normal position inbut one direction, it will not be subject to vibration even when driven at high speeds. 25

In Figure l0 I have illustrated a mixer head Hill which is in the form of a helical screw, and the associated mixer head I02 is provided with laterally extending curved wings W3. The resistance to the movement of these wings in the ma terial which is being mixed is considerably greater than that of the associated mixer screw. and therefore the motor which drives the screw will tend to develop a considerably higher speed if independent motors are employed.

In Figure 11 the mixer head 3k! is similar to the mixer heads 3i shown in Figure 1, although of somewhat smaller radial extension, whereas the associated mixer head We is of correspondingly greater radial extension than the mixer 40 heads shown in Figure 1, and therefore this mixer head operates under a considerably increased resistance as compared with its similar associated mixer head.

In the foregoing speciflcationthe term mxer head is employed to designate mixing devices generally, whether intended for maceration or -for the production of emulsions or merely for ordinary mixing purposes.

The term trituration is intended to include any macerating or JcQmm'inuting operation, and while I prefer to employ mixing heads which tend to drive the material downwardly, Irecognize the possibility of using a slowly revolving mixer'head which lifts material, as indicated in Figure 12, the right hand mixer 321) being reversed and operating to produce a reverse current; fed by the downwardly The mixer heads shown in Figures 10, 11, and 12 are adapted to be used with any of the driving mechanisms illustrated, and the mechanisms and mixer heads shown are illustrative of only a few of various possible embodiments of my invention. In Figure 10 the mixer head |0I is illustrated as having a mutilated and partially folded fi'ght.

Mutilation of the flight isnot essential, but for shafts to so yield if the motors are sufilciently powerful and the shafts and mixer heads sufthe mixer heads may encounter. Therefore it is to be understood that the yielding characteristics or provision of yielding movements of the mixer heads with reference to each other is optional and designed to avoid impairment of the mechanism or excessive strains upon motors when the mechanisms and the motors are of light weight and the parts correspondingly weak.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the described class, the combination'with a receptacle support and a removable receptacle receivable thereon, of a set of normally proximate non-clashing mixing devices positioned for mutually cooperative triturating operations upon circulating material, supportsf for said mixing devices adapted to permit a yielding movement of separation, and means for actuating said devices at different speeds within the receptacle in normal proximity and during separating movements.

2. In apparatus of the described class, the combination with a container support, of means for operating at difierent speeds a set of devices within the container adapted to circulate, mix, and triturate contained material, said mixing devices being supported for yielding movements of separation under pressure of resistant material circulating between them, and means for holding said mixing devices for' rotation in adjacent fields in non-clashing relation to each other.

3. In apparatus of the described class, the com-.- bination of a set of rotary mixing heads, an actuating shaft for each mixer head, said shaft and heads being provided with means for normally urging them yieldingly to positions of downward convergence, and means for rotating the shafts with all portions of the heads-in adjacent nonintersecting paths of movement and in position for feeding, crushing, and triturating material between them.

4. In apparatus of the described class, the combination of a set of rotary mixing heads, an actuating shaft for each mixer head, said shaft and heads being provided with means for normally urging them to positions of downward convergence, and independent means for rotating the respective shafts with all portions of the heads in adjacent non-intersecting paths of movement,

said shafts being supported for swinging movement of relative separation while being rotated.

5. In apparatus of the described class, the combination with a'receptacle support and a set of mixing devices having trituratingand propelling projections revoluble in opposite directions in a common horizontal plane and in non-clashing proximity within a receptacle mounted on the support, means for actuating said mixing devices at diflerent speeds and in different degrees of proximity, and means for yleldingly urging said devices toward a maximum predetermined proximity. e

6. In apparatus of the described class, the combination of a vortex forming screw with a proxfloiently strong to overcome any resistance which lever, arock shaft provided with an actuating lever, and an associated crank arm engageable with the'lifting lever to raise or lower the carrier, said lifting lever having a cam-shaped face along which the crank arm travels, said face be- 5 ing curved to regulate the speed of carrier movement in different stages of such movement.

8. In apparatus of the described class, the combination with mixing devices, of a receptacle carrier adapted for presentation of material to the mixing devices, an actuating lever, intermediate connections for transmitting movement at progressively varying speeds from the lever to the carrier, said connections including suitable crank arms provided with anti-friction rollers, and a 16 set of intermediate cam-shaped levers in the paths of said rollers and adapted to lift and lower the carrier.

9. In apparatus of the described class, the combination with mixing devices, of a receptacle car- 20 rier adapted for presentation of material to the mixing devices, an actuating lever, intermediate connections for transmitting movement at progressively varying speeds from the lever to the carrier, said connections including suitable crank arms provided with anti-friction rollers, and 'a set of intermediate cam-shaped levers in the paths of said rollers and adapted to lift and lower the carrier, said cam-shaped levers having roller receiving surfaces concentric with the axis of crank movement and engageable by the rollers when crossing a vertical plane which includes said axis.

10. In apparatus, of the described class, the

combination with a set of mixing devices, of a movable carrier adapted to convey to the mixing devices a receptacle containing material to .be mixed, actuating mechanism for the carrier, independent actuating mechanism for the'respcctive mixing devices, and means associated with 40 the carrier actuating mechanism for controlling the operation of the actuating mechanisms for the mixing devices.

11. In apparatus of the described class, the combination with a set of mixer heads, electrically controlled independent driving connections therefor, an oscillatory mercurial switch controlling the driving connections, mechanical means for presenting receptacles containing material to be mixed to the mixer heads, and means associated therewith for oscillating the mercurial switch to automatically connect and disconnect a source of electrical current supply with the respective mixer head driving means.

12. In. apparatus of the described class, the combination with a receptacle for material to be mixed and triturated, of a set of mixer heads operable therein in non-clashing proximity to each other, means for supporting said mixer heads for I yielding movements ofseparation from normal 80 proximity, means for resiliently urging said mixer heads into normal proximity, and an electric driving motor for each mixer head operable independently of the other.

13. In apparatus of the described class, the combination with a set of vertically movable posts, of a receptacle carrier releasably interlocked with said posts. and disengageable therefrom by vertical movement, a set of pivotally supported post actuating levers having contoured cam surfaces, and manually operable cam mechanism having rollers adapted to travel along said cam surfaces to lift said levers at a graduated speed determined by the contour of said surfaces.

14. In apparatus of the described class, the

clashing, and primary motion means carried by i saidsupporting means and connected for rotation combination with ,a set of vertically movable posts,

of a receptacle carrier supported from said posts,

a set of pivotally mounted post actuating levers.

combination of a container and a-set of rotat-'- able mixing and triturating heads, means supporting said heads in triturating relationship to one another, means providing for transverse resiliently yielding movement of one head rela-' mixing and triturating heads each including a propeller and a triturating portion at the periphery thereof, means supporting said heads in mutually exclusive zones in a common horizontal plane in triturating non-clashing relationship,

means providing for vertical movement of the heads relative to and within said container while maintaining said relationship, and primary motion means carried by said supporting means and connected for rotation of said heads independently of the container and of each other.

17. In apparatus of the class described, the

' combination of a container and set of rotatable mixing and triturating heads of diiferent diameters, means normally supporting said heads in triturating proximity,-means providing for vertical movement of the heads relative to and within said container and for transverse movement of the one head relative to the other, means resiliently urging said heads toward normal proximity, stop means limiting said proximity to prevent of said heads.

18. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a container and a set of rotatable 5 mixing heads having triturating portions, means normally supportingsaid heads in trituratin proximity to one another, means providing for unitary vertical movement relative to and within said container, and a plurality of primary power 10 units each carried by said supporting means and each connected for driving one of said heads from a point above the heads.

' 19. In apparatus of the described class, the combination with a set of mixer heads having is triturating blades and means supporting said heads for rotation in mutually exclusive aones upon offset adjacent axes, the relation between' such heads being adapted to promote the nonclogging trituration of material acted on there- 10 by, of independent motors and driving connections for the respective heads, whereby they may operate independently of each other.

20. In apparatus of the described class, the combination with a set of mixer heads and means 85 supporting said heads for rotation upon oifset adiacent axes and in mutually co-operative triturating proximity, of mountings for said supporting means upon which at least one of said supporting means isv yieldable relative to the other in a so direction to increase the distance between said heads, and means for operating the separate heads each at its own peripheral speed. I

'21. In apparatus of the described class, the

combination with a set of mixer heads adapted 88 for co-operating triturating action in contiguous zones, of supporting means for said heads rota-t1 ableupon different axes, means biasing said heads in a direction to decrease the distance between their respective zones of action, said heads being 40 yieldable against said biasing means toincrease said distance and thereby to prevent clogging, and means for driving said heads.

MATHEW a

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