Patent Application
20200139317
A drum or barrel is a cylindrical container that is commonly used for shipping bulk cargo. Drums are typically single-piece, and can be made of steel, dense paperboard (commonly called a fiber drum), or plastics. Drums are generally used for the transportation and storage of liquids or powders, and are commonly used for the transportation and storage of industrial chemicals, fuels, and oils, as well as in agricultural environments. Often times, drums used for these purposes must be certified for use with particular industrial chemicals. In these cases, the goods shipped must be matched with the make of drum that is necessary to comply with applicable regulations.
In industrial and agricultural settings, multiple drums are typically shipped or transported to a single location. Several drums are therefore often placed in storage until the contents within are needed. Drums commonly have both a flat top surface and bottom surface, which enables the drums to be stacked while in storage. However, any fittings that the drum may be outfitted with must also be flat, otherwise they may be damaged during transport or storage, which may cause unwanted and dangerous leakage of the drum's liquid contents.
Often in industrial settings various chemicals need to be controlled in certain proportions to enable a particular result. Different mechanisms exist which allow for the combination and mixing of chemical compounds, which are often part of a large processing facility. However, there are occasions when humans must directly mix such chemicals, and the need to remove and re-insert mixer attachments can expose the user to drips, leaks, and fumes during transfer. Additionally, when extracting liquid from a traditional drum, liquid often times pools in the base of the drum in a manner that evades extraction, and remains left-behind in the drum, and is therefore unusable and wasted.
Embodiments of the present invention comprise a chemical mixer tool for use in a storage drum, the chemical mixer tool having a mixer housing assembly in which one end of mixer shaft is secured, with the distal end of the mixer shaft having at least one impeller assembly removably attached thereon. Typically, the chemical mixer tool is removably secured within a port of a chemical storage drum. The chemical mixer's impeller assembly is designed to collapse when not in use, allowing the chemical mixer tool to be removable from the chemical storage drum without having to limit the radial length of the impeller assembly's pitch blades. This allows for the chemical mixer tool to be removable without sacrificing its mixing efficiency. Additionally, the chemical mixer tool is configured to create a closed system, which allows for more control over chemical purity from the point-of-origin to the point-of-use, as well as minimizing the risk of chemical exposure to the user.
The storage drum is designed to optimize efficient storage, as well as liquid extraction. The storage drum comprises a base having a generally conical sump portion with a frustum base. The downwardly angled slope of the conical sump directs the liquid to flow into the frustum base, which is positioned directly below a pump valve port. This arrangement reduces the amount of liquid which would otherwise remain behind in a typical storage drum following extraction.
Furthermore, the storage drum features an extended upper chime with a support lip. The support lip allows for the storage drums to be stacked when not in use. Additionally, the extended length of the upper chime enables the attachments secured within the port or ports of the storage drum to remain in place and protected from damage when the drums are stacked, for optimal and efficient storage.
The terms and phrases as indicated in quotation marks (“ ”) in this section are intended to have the meaning ascribed to them in this Terminology section applied to them throughout this document, including in the claims, unless clearly indicated otherwise in context. Further, as applicable, the stated definitions are to apply, regardless of the word or phrase's case, to the singular and plural variations of the defined word or phrase.
The term “or” as used in this specification and the appended claims is not meant to be exclusive; rather the term is inclusive, meaning either or both.
References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “another embodiment,” “a preferred embodiment,” “an alternative embodiment,” “one variation,” “a variation,” and similar phrases mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or variation is included in at least an embodiment or variation of the invention. The phrase “in one embodiment,” “in one variation,” or similar phrases as used in various places in the specification are not necessarily meant to refer to the same embodiment or the same variation.
The term “couple” or “coupled,” as used in this specification and appended claims refers to an indirect or direct physical connection between the identified elements, components, or objects. Often the manner of the coupling will be related specifically to the manner in which the two coupled elements interact.
The term “directly coupled” or “coupled directly,” as used in this specification and appended claims, refers to a physical connection between identified elements, components, or objects, in which no other element, component, or object resides between those identified as being directly coupled.
The term “approximately,” as used in this specification and appended claims, refers to plus or minus 10% of the value given.
The term “about,” as used in this specification and appended claims, refers to plus or minus 20% of the value given.
The terms “generally” and “substantially,” as used in this specification and appended claims, mean mostly, or for the most part.
Directional or relationary terms including but not limited to, left, right, nadir, apex, top, bottom, vertical, horizontal, back, front, and lateral are relative to each other and are dependent on the specific orientation of a applicable element or article, and are used accordingly to aid in the description of the various embodiments and are not necessarily intended to be construed as limiting.
An Embodiment of a Chemical Mixer Tool for Use in a Storage Drum A chemical mixer tool 5 is illustrated in
As shown in
Upper chime 36 may further include a pair of oppositely opposed hand grip holes 37, to allow for manual lifting of storage drum 35. Support ribs 39 reinforce and strengthen upper chime 36, increasing the drop protection performance of storage drum 35.
Lower chime 46 circumferentially surrounds and extends downwardly from bottom sump portion 45. The bottom sump portion 45 is conically tapered, and therefore presents an uneven surface for storage drum 35 to rest upon. The addition of lower chime 46 thus provides an even, stable resting surface for storage drum 35.
The width of upper chime 36 and lower chime 46 is sufficiently thick so as to support the weight of one or more storage drums 35.
The distal end of lower chime 46 is sized to sit partially within upper chime 36, resting securely on support lip 38 of upper chime 36. This enables a plurality of storage drums 35 to be securely stacked on top of one another, or with other drums, allowing for storage drums 35 to be compactly and efficiently stored as needed. Support ribs 39 reinforce and strengthen upper chime 36, thus increasing stability of storage drum 35 when stacked with other storage drums. Additionally, upper chime 36 extends sufficiently upwards, and support lip 38 is positioned on upper chime 36, so as to allow clearance for the attachments that may be secured within pump valve port 50 and mixer port 30. This enables the storage drums 35 to be stacked and stored without having to remove any port attachments. This allows for the chemical mixer tool 5 and the storage drum 35 to create a closed system, which protects the contents of the storage drum 35 from contamination and the user from potential dangerous chemical or vapor exposure.
As shown in
Typically, the pump valve port 50 and the mixer port 30 are off-set from the center of the top portion 40, with the security tab 55 located therebetween. The off-centered arrangement of the pump valve port 50 and the mixer port 30 allow for the chemical mixer tool 5 to be sufficiently distanced from the pump assembly 60 to ensure the chemical mixer tool 5 can create the necessary flow pattern to efficiently mix the liquid within the storage drum 35. The security tab 55 comprises a protrusion from top portion 40, having at least two bored holes 56 for securing a tamper-resistant device therein. The tamper-resistant device is simultaneously secured to both the bored holes 56 of security tab 55 and the bored holes 97 of grip tab 96, thereby allowing a user to be alerted in instances where an attachment has been unwantedly removed from its associated port.
The bottom sump portion 45 is typically an oblique cone with a frustum base 65 that is substantially parallel to the support lip 38 of upper chime 36. As shown in
As stored liquid is extracted from the storage drum 35, the downward slope of the oblique conical shape of the bottom sump portion 45 directs the flow of the remaining liquid into the frustum base 65. At its steepest, typically the oblique cone of the bottom sump portion 45 slopes downwardly at an angle of approximately thirty-five degrees. At its shallowest, typically the oblique cone of the bottom sump portion 45 slopes downwardly at an angle of approximately fifteen degrees. The substantially horizontal flat surface of the frustum base 65 allows for the dip tube fitting 70 having bellows 71 to sit flush with the frustum base 65. This arrangement allows for the pump assembly 60, when activated, to extract nearly all of the stored liquid within the storage drum 35, as the remaining liquid is directed into the frustum base 65 wherein the pump assembly 60 is situated, and flows through the bellows 71 into the pump tube 61.
As shown in
The cylindrical bearing housing 80 is hollow so as to enable a mixer bearing 105 to be rotatably contained therein. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
At least one impeller assembly 25 is placed at the desired location on the portion of the mixer shaft 20 distally extending from the mixer housing assembly 10 and into the storage drum 35. As shown in exemplary
As shown in
The blade stop 174 is structured and arranged so as to allow the pitch blades 155 to collapse downwardly when the chemical mixer tool 5 is not engaged, allowing for the chemical mixer tool 5 to be easily removed from the mixer port 30 without limiting the radial length of the pitch blades 155. When the pitch blades 155 are in a collapsed position, as in
While the blade stop 174 enables the pitch blades 155 to collapse, the angle of the blade stop 174 also ensures that even when collapsed, the pitch blades 155 are still angled slightly outwardly and away from the mixer shaft 20, with the inner surface 156 of the pitch blades 155 resting at an angle ranging between five and fifteen degrees off parallel from the mixer shaft 20 (as exemplified in
The various embodiments and variations thereof, illustrated in the accompanying Figures and/or described above, are merely exemplary and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention. It is to be appreciated that numerous other variations of the invention have been contemplated, as would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure. All variations of the invention that read upon appended claims are intended and contemplated to be within the scope of the invention.
The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/801,712, filed on Feb. 6, 2019, entitled “Diptube End Fitting with Bellows For Use With Chemical Storage Containers,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/153,326, filed Oct. 5, 2018, entitled “Drum Assembly,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/053,984, filed on Aug. 3, 2018, entitled “Chemical Mixer Tool and Drum Assembly,” which claimed priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/540,825, filed on Aug. 3, 2017, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62801712 | Feb 2019 | US | |
| 62540825 | Aug 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16153326 | Oct 2018 | US |
| Child | 16737555 | US | |
| Parent | 16053984 | Aug 2018 | US |
| Child | 16153326 | US |
