US2580316A

US2580316A - Apparatus for rapid solution and/or suspension of powdered solids

Info

Publication number: US2580316A
Application number: US87082A
Authority: US
Inventors: David D Peebles; Guy P Hensley
Original assignee: Golden State Co Ltd
Current assignee: Golden State Co Ltd
Priority date: 1949-04-12
Filing date: 1949-04-12
Publication date: 1951-12-25
Anticipated expiration: 1968-12-25

Description

Dec. 25, 1951 Y D. D. PEEBLES ETAL 2,580,316

' APPARATUS FOR RAPID SOLUTION AND/OR SUSPENSION OF POWDERED SOLIDS Filed April 12, 1949 /9- I 4L -I/ \\r\1 I 12 7 35 \33 \3/ INVENTORS DAV/0 0. PEEBLES a uY P. HE/VSLE) /7 a0 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 25, 1951 UNITED STA APPARATUS FOR RAPID SOLUTION AND/R SUSPENSION OF POWDERED SOLIDS poration of Delaware ApplicationApril 12, 1949, Serial No. 87,082

This invention relates generally to apparatus for the resuspension of fine powders in fluid mediums. More particularly, it relates to manually operative apparatus for the reconstitution of milks.

In the past it has been common practice to use various high speed pumps and electrically powered mixers to wet and to suspend powdered materials in fluid mediums. One of the better known of the smaller type units is the Waring Blender.

There are many disadvantages to such equipment, including, for example, a large minimum capacity, incorporation of large volumes of air which results in an objectional foam, failure to disintegrate powder agglomerates with the result that unwetted large particles are organoleptically detectable and elimination of the particles is impossible when reconstituting a small volume of fluid unless the mixture is recirculated many times. Inaddition, these mixers are expensive to buy and expensive to run so that they are not equipment regularly available in the home. Y

It is an object of the present invention to provide new apparatus for suspension of powdered material which will avoid the vdiii'iculties and limitations of prior apparatus as pointed out above.

It is another object of the invention to provide manually operable apparatus capable of producing smooth textured fluids.

It is a further object of the invention to provide apparatus capable of producing the small quantities of fluids such as a pint or quart which are useful in the home.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description in which one embodiment of the invention has been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is an assembly drawing of one embodiment of this invention showing the top and bottom cut away to show the parts in section;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectionshowing the piston and one form of unit for causing turbulence;

Figure 3 is a view 3-3 showing the bottom of the plunger in the casing;

Figure 4 is a plan view of another disc;

Figure 5 is a plan view and a partial assembly of the turbulence unit shown in Figure 2, as seen along 5--5;

Figure 6 is an isometricview e; the turbulence unit ofFigure 5;

6 Claims. (Cl. 259

, Figure '7 is a vertical section of the unit of Figures 5 and 6 showing the relationship of the free moving parts to the base plate or disc; and

Figure 8 is an isometric view of the bottom retainer which holds a turbulence and fluid directing unit in place.

Briefly stated the present invention comprises a hollow body member which acts as a mixing and wetting chamber, a piston member designed to sweep substantially the entire length of the cylinder and capable of excluding air regardless of piston stroke direction and an element capable of causing turbulent liquid flow at the liquid inlet to the cylinder.

In practicing this invention advantage is taken of the discovery constituting the invention that powder held as an enclosed dry mass can be prevented from adhering into a doughy mass if subjected to agitation at the moment of wetting.

The apparatus of the invention is especially adapted to carry out a process wherein the powder is contained as a mass completely filling that portion of an elongated cylinder which is adjacent the liquid inlet, then liquid is drawn into the cylinder from an external container with such turbulence that the powder is agitated and moved while being wetted following which action the mixture is ejected from the cylinder through the liquid inlet as a smooth textured fluid.

The tubular or cylindrical member may be constructed of any suitable material which can be finished to present a relatively smooth inner surface. Choice of a ratio of cylinder length to diameter is a matter of convenience and for home use small ratios are preferred as a means of avoiding awkward sizes. Naturally the only limitation on diameter is that the pressures generated by the piston not exceed those which are easily applied by hand.

When using a free-acting piston 0f the type hereinafter described, difficult-to-apply pressure is never reached until ratios of length-of-piston to diameter are less than one. Stainless steel is an acceptable material of construction for the above described cylinder but for convenience of light weight, non-breakability, ready visible check on cleanlinessand the like, a clear wall cylinder prepared from a resin material such as methyl methacrylate resin is preferred. A further advantage of a clear wall cylinder is that the cylinder can he graduated to indicate quantities of powder tobe utilized with known volumes 0 fluid.

Referring to that form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, it consists of a tubular body or housing l open at the ends II' and 12. The housing It is provided adjacent the ends H and H with suitable means preferably identical, for connection to hereinafter described associated parts. For example, the housing may be provided with external threads i3 and I4. Other conventional coupling means can be provided if desired, as for example, clamping flanges.

The threaded portion [4 of housing In is engaged by an internally threaded retainer cap 15 also shown in Figure 8 which is provided with integrally formed feet I6. The head I! of the retainer cap i is provided with an aperture l8,

which serves as both chamber inlet and outlet for fluid. The remaining portion of the head I! of the cap provides a shoulder l9 adapted to oppose the end [2 of the cylinder l0 and releasably hold an element designed to create turbulence, in place therebetween.

This turbulence-creating element may take any one of a number of forms or combinations thereof. Figure 4 represents a simple type of element. This element comprises a flat orifice pla e or disc 2| provided with a plurality of ports 22. Ports 22 are generally prepared as radially extending slots angled at an acute angle to a line perpendicular to the plane of the disc. Such ports are set for example, at a 60 degree angle to the radial axis.

The agitation action referred to is that which results from the angled flow of liquid through the ports, the combined radial angled flow of which creates a vertical action up through the mixing chamber.

This turbulence action may be augmented by placing between the cap and the disc a standard small mesh wire screen unit, for example, a 20 mesh wire screen. While such a screen unit is not necessary, it is an aid when it is desirable to use relatively large ports to minimize build up of pressure with large pistons of the type to be described hereinafter. With relatively small ports in the greater number that may be inserted in the same size disc, the liquid action through the ports will give sufficient turbulence to insure agitation to prevent caking and discharge of ag glomerates of partially wetted powder.

Figures 2, 6 and '7 illustrate a second unit which can be used as the element generatin turbulence at the liouid inlet. This unit comprises an orifice plate 3! similar to disc 2! described above, provided with an annular ring 32.

At the axial center of plate 3| is carried a sha t 33. Shaft 33 supports two

rotatable e ements

34 and 35. the elements being mounted on opposite sides of plate 3!. The rotatable elements 3' and 35 have one or more extending arms 36. The extending arms 36 are formed preferably as radial blades having the face set at an acute angle to the radial axis.

Inside the housing In there is mounted a piston member Ml which is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. Piston member 49 comprises a shaft or stem 4! of suitable length with relation to the length of the housing l ll.

Shaft M is arranged co-axial with the housing 10 and extends to the exterior of the housing. The exterior end of shaft 44' is provided with suitable means 42 for releasably attaching a handle as as for example, threads adapted to cooperate with an internally threaded handle 43. The interior end of shaft 4| is provided with a support M. for a flexible sealing means 45.

Free action by the piston member is neces:

sary to successful operation. The sealing means must operate tightly within the housing I!) with air on one side of the piston and still prevent leakage of air into product being mixed, otherwise objectionable froths are generated instead of smooth textured liquids. The instant design meets all of the above requirements, and the particular arrangement has other uses than in the instant combination, as for example, in grease guns, and the like.

The support comprises a central hub section 46 axially aligned with the shaft 4! carrying two radially extending

disc members

41 and 48. The

disc members

41 and 48 are preferably thicker at the base where they join hub 45 and taper to any desired peripheral thickness. Discs 4'! and 48 are separated at the point of juncture with the hub 46 by at least the thickness of the sealing means 45. Disc 48 is preferably perforated as at 49, shown in Figure 3, to insure quick response of the sealing means to change in direction of the plunger stroke.

sealing means 45 may consist of one or more concentric rings whose inner diameters are equal to the diameter of the hub 65. The sealing means 45 may be of any resilient composition such as natural or synthetic rubber and the like.

Shaft 41 is maintained in axial alignment by a cap 50. Referring to Figure 1, it will be seen that this cap 50 comprises a hub section 5: and a rim section 52 joined by suitable connecting means 53, which allows for free passage of air. Rim section 52 is internally threaded at 54 to receive the threaded section l3 of housing 10.

Hub section 5| is axially aligned with housing [0 and adapted for sliding fit with the shaft 4!, thus acting as a guide.

The apparatus described above may be assembled in the following manner. Shaft 45 is passed through the hub 5! of cap 50 and the handle 43 threaded into place. A rubber ring 45 is fitted into the space between

disc members

41 and 48. This rubber fitted piston is inserted in the hous ing l0 and secured by the cap 56. At the bottom of the housing, a suitable turbulence mem-' ber such as described above, aloneor together with a suitably designed fine mesh screen, is clamped securely in place by means of retainer cap [5.

When this apparatus is to be used, for exampie, to reconstitute milk in small quantities, the piston is moved to the desired graduation mark. The retainer cap 15 and element 30 are then removed and the portion of the housing in between the piston and end of the housing is filled with milk powder. The cap anad element 35 are again fastened in place.

Next the powder filled end of the housing is inserted into a container of water. This container should hold the quantity of water required to give reconstituted milk of normal solids: content. concentric ring of water rises along the chamber wall as well as rising with a vertical action: through the agitated powder. With the down-- ward thrust of the plunger the mixture is ex-- pelled.

When reconstituting small quantities of pow-- der, the expelled liquid will be a smooth textured fluid. When using the maximum quantities of powder for which the apparatus is designed, the plunger may have to be reciprocatedtwo or three times to insure complete suspension of all of thepo-Wder held in the housing.

Sanitation isan important consideration in.

As the plunger is drawn upward a the handling of foods and the ease with which the above apparatus can be cleaned and sterilized ofiers many advantages. The apparatus is self cleaning if clean hot water is drawn into and expelled from the housing It as in normal oper ation.

Further, when utilizing a suificiently long shaft 4|, the piston, after removal of cap I5, can be pushed from the housing thus exposing the piston for brushing and permitting water to be run through the housing for cleaning.

In addition, if complete disassembly is desired, only three threaded connections, the two caps and the handle, all of which are outside the mixing chamber, must be separated. With the present invention, upon removal of the two cap members the interior of the housing is left fully accessible and without obstructing barriers.

Because of the features described above, the apparatus is particularly useful in the handling of fluid food products.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to the illustrated preferred form of apparatus, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the apparatus described, but includes such modifications and equivalents as would occur to one versed in the art.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for reconstituting powdered milk which comprises a cylindrical housing, identical releasable means for attaching caps at both ends of said housing, a cap for one end of said housing carrying an axial guide member for cooperation with an operating piston stem, an operating piston stem extending into the housing through said guide member, releasable means carried by the portion of the stem outside the housing for efiecting movement of the stem, a low-frictional-resistance piston member carried by the inner end of said stem and a cap for the other end of said housing securing means to said housing having radially positioned apertures angled transverse to a vertical plane passing through the radial axis of said inlet means for simultaneously creating turbulent and vortical flow of liquid as it enters and is ejected from the housing.

2. An apparatus for converting liquids and powdered solids to smooth textured fluids which comprises a housing, a piston member adapted with a stem for manual operation, sealing means in contact with said housing and supported by said piston, releasable apertured retainer means mounted on one end of said housing, a disc positioned between said retainer means and said housing having ports therein radially positioned and angled to the vertical axis.

3. An apparatus for converting liquids and powdered solids to smooth textured fl-uids which comprises a housing, a piston member adapted with a stem for manual operation, sealing means in contact with said housing and supported by said piston, releasable apertured retainer means mounted on one end of said housing, liquid inlet means positioned between said retainer means tending discs of slightly smaller diameter than the piston chamber bore positioned on said hub and defining a space therebetween of greater width at the periphery ofsaid discs than at their juncture with said hub, and resilient annular sealing means carried between said discs for sealing against bypass at the piston wall and cooperating with said hub for sealing against bypass of fluid at the hub.

5. An apparatus for converting liquids and powdered solids to smooth textured fluids which comprises a housing, piston means carrying resilient means relatively air tight regardless of the direction of piston movement, multiple liquid inlet means at one end of the housing radially positioned and angled transverse to a vertical plane extending radially and passing through the radial axis of said inlet means to create turbulent vortical flow of liquid as it enters and leaves the housing.

6. A low-frictional-resistance piston for relatively low pressure systems which comprises an operating piston stem, said stem being formed with an axially aligned hub section, two radially extending discs of slightly smaller diameter than the piston chamber bore positioned on said hub and defining a space therebetween of greater width at the periphery of said discs than at their juncture with said hub, and resilient annular sealing means carried between said discs *or sealing against bypass at the piston wall and 00- operating with said hub for sealing against bypass of liquid at the hub.

DAVID D. PEEBLES. GUY P. HENSLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,367,002 Awiszus Feb. 1, 1921 1,498,788 Deming June 24, 1924 1,523,085 Schamm Jan. 13, 1925 1,597,271 Fleek Aug. 24, 1926 2,166,437 Howie et al July 18, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 17.788 Great Britain Dec. 5, 1888 326,854 Great Britain Mar. 21, 1930