US2203242A - Dispensing pump - Google Patents

Description

June 4, 1940. R 2,203,242

DISPENSING PUMP Filed Jan. 24, 1959 G Norm 14 i at ented June 4, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING PUMP Karl Weber, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application January 24, 1939, Serial No. 252,587

3 Claims.

a spout by suddenly forcing the plunger down wardly. The plunger or piston rod, carries a piston at its lower end, working in a barrel in which pressure is exerted upon the syrup to force it up the uptake tube and through the spout. In the common construction of pumps of this kind, the pump barrel is formed as an assembly with the plunger and uptake'tube, and these parts are carried by the cover. The cover is seated on the upper edge of the jar, and supports the pump assembly. The syrup pumps in common use are usually constructed with a removable plate at the bottom, made of block tin, and in cleaning such a pump it is necessary to unscrew this plate. The thread at the edge of this plate after considerable use, becomes worn so that it will not hold this plate in place. In old fountains sometimes this plate is repaired by permanently securing it in place by means other than its own thread, after which the interior of the pump is inaccessible for cleaning. This, of course, is very unsanitary. One of the objects of my, invention is to simplify the construction of pumps of thistype, and to obviate the necessity for providing a separate pump barrel and the removable bottom plate referred to above.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a pump of this type, which is so constructed that the barrel will refill in a relatively short the jar, and enables all the moving parts of the pump to be readily removed for cleaning them and the jar.

A further object of the invention is to construct the valve means in such a way that it will be quick closing; also to provide means coopcrating with the valve means, tending to enhance this quick closing action.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficient dispensing pump.

described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a vertical section through a syrup pump embodying my invention, some parts being broken away and shown partially in section.

=lg. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-4 of Figure 1, but upon a larger scale. This view particularly illustrates the arrange-= ment of the uptake tube and valves with relation to the piston rod.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken about on the line 33 of Figure 2, and further illustrating details of the valve construction.

In practicing the invention, I provide a jar l of shell-form, which is preferably formed of stainless steel, said jar having a bottom 2 of substantially conical form, the middle portion of which is drawn downwardly to form a barrel 3 integral with the bottom. The upper end of the jar is closed by a removable cover 4 that may have a marginal flange 5 seating over the crimped edge 6 on the upper end of the jar. This cover is preferably also formed of stainless steel, and carries a metal fitting l, a portion of which forms a spout 8, and the inner end of which is formed into a boss or hub 9 to operate as a guide for the actuating plunger ID of the pump. The spout 8 preferably extends in a direction inclined to the axis of the jar I, so that when the jar is mounted in the usual inclined position, the spout 8 will be substantially horizontal.

The duct through the spout, communicates with an uptake tube H, the upper end of which is pressed or otherwise secured in the socket l2 in the fitting. The under side of the fitting may be provided with a boss I3 that seats in a central opening M in the middle of the cover 4.

The fitting I may be secured to the cover in any desired manner, and in the present instance, as illustrated, issecured by means of two screws l5. The plunger l0 includes a driving head it, which can be struck or pushed inwardly with ones hand. This head it has, a threaded socket received on the threadedupper end I! of a piston rod l8. The hub or body 9 of the fitting 1, may be provided with a bushing sleeve l9 that A preferred embodiment of the invention is t forms a guide for a sleeve 2!! carried by the knob or head It. The bushing l9 and the sleeve operate as a housing for a coil spring 21 or other means, for returning the plunger after it has been depressed. The lower end of this spring seats around an integral neck 22 at the lower end of the bushing. The piston rod l8 is provided with a stop collar 22 that seats against the lower end of the bushing 19 to limit the upward movement of the piston rod.

The lower end of the piston rod l8 carries a piston 23 that is preferably composed of sheet metal, and consists of a disc body with a downwardly turned flange 2 that fits neatly into the bore of the barrel 3. The piston 23 has a flanged guide opening 25, which receives the lower end of the uptake tube il so that as the piston slides up or down, it will be guided on the uptake tube.

The piston 23 is provided with valve means of considerable area, so as to insure that on the return stroke of the piston the barrel 3 will substantially fill with the syrup. In this connection it should be realized that these syrups have considerable viscosity, and hence they do not flow quickly through valve openings. For this reason I prefer to construct the valve means so that it presents a plurality of relatively large valve ports or openings 26 (see Fig. 2) and in the present instance, I have illustrated four of these valve ports 26 arranged in pairs, each pair of ports having its own valve closure 27 common to the two ports of the pair. Each valve closure preferably consists of an elongated metal plate, which is also preferably of stainless steel, and which will not be attacked by any acids in the syrup, or juices that are handled by the pump. This valve means that I employ, is preferably gravity opening that is to say, the effect of gravity acting on the valve closures, will hold them open in the position of rest of the piston. In the present instance, eachvalv-e plate is suspended on the under side of the piston by two pins 28 having heads 29 at their lower ends, and passing through openings 30 in the valve plates, that give considerable clearance. When the piston rod is is suddenly thrust downwardly, the pressure in the chamber of the barrel 3 suddenly rises, and this pressure exerted on the under sides of the valve plates, immediately seats them against the under side of the piston. From this point on, the syrup will be rapidly discharged up the tube H and through the spout 8.

In order to keep the tube ll of the spout 8 full of syrup at all times, and also so as to afford an immediate resistance and give quick action to the valve plates in closing, I prefer to provide a check valve 3! connected into the uptake tube II. This valve may be of any desired type, but in the present instance it includes a ball check 32. This ball check 32 is also preferably of stainless steel, as is also the uptake tube II and the other parts within the jar.

In the preferred construction, the tube II is suspended from the cover, and in order to maintain its alignment and at the same time to provide for guiding the piston rod, I provide a guide bracket 33 that is preferably rigidly attached to the uptake tube H, as by welding, and formed with a guide sleeve 34 that slides loosely on the rod Hi. In this way the opening 25 maintains the tube II in its proper alignment, although its lower end is not held fixed by any means below the piston; and this enables the tube H to operate as though it were actually a fixed support for the guide bracket 33 in guiding the piston rod. At the same time this assembly has considerable flexibility below, enabling the piston 23 to be centered by the wall of the barrel.

In the operation of the pump, it will be evident that as soon as the attendant releases the knob lii, the spring 2! will return the piston 23 to its elevated position. This spring 2| should be of considerable force so as to effect a quick return of the piston. As the piston starts up, the valve plates 2l, of course, open immediately so as to permit the syrup to flow through the valve ports and fill the barrel 3 without undue delay.

The bottom of the barrel 3 may be provided with an upset boss 35 lying in the path of the rivuptake tube supported solely on the cover, communicating at its upper end with the spout, and with its lower end extending into the barrel, and hanging freely within the same, a piston rod extending down through the cover, a rigid piston carried thereby, sliding in the barrel and fitting :1,

its bore, said piston having a guide opening enabling the piston to be guided on the tube, valve means on the piston resting in an open position when the piston is at rest, and operating to close suddenly when the piston is forced down, means for guiding and bracing the piston rod on the tube, and means for returning the piston after the same has been depressed.

In a dispensing pump, the combination of a jar having a pump barrel at its bottom, a cover for the jar having a delivery spout, an uptake tube supported solely on the cover, communicating at its upper end with the spout, and with its lower end extending into the barrel, a piston rod extendingdown through the cover, a piston carried thereby, sliding in the barrel, having a guide opening enabling the tube to be held in alignment by the piston, and a guide connecting the tube and piston rod enabling the piston to be guided through the agency'of the tube, said piston comprising a disc having a valve opening therethrough, and valve means carried on the under side of the piston, operating to maintain itself by gravity in an open position when the piston is at rest, and means for returning the piston after the same has been depressed.

3. In a dispensing pump, the combination of a jar having a bottom with an integral pump barrel, a cover for the jar, an uptake tube carried by the cover extending down into the barrel and having a delivery spout above, a bracket securely fastened to the uptake tube, said bracket maintaining the piston rod in approximate alignment, a pump plunger having a piston rod guided to slide through the cover, and a valved piston carried by the piston rod to reciprocate in the pump barrel.

KARL WEBER.

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