Fluid driven rotary agitator with suction conduit

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to mixers and to apparatus and methods for mixing slurries and high purity chemical solutions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Industries such as the semiconductor industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the paint industry, to name but a few, use mixers for mixing various kinds of slurries and other mixtures. Given the different mixing needs among the various industries, skilled artisans have devoted considerable effort developing efficient and highly effective mixers. Nevertheless, existing mixers are expensive, complicated to build and hard to clean. Existing mixers, especially those used for mixing highly pure mixtures, are also difficult to use, especially in applications in which mixed solutions and slurries must be transferred to and from mixing receptacles and when mixing processes require the introduction of various constituents at different times during the mixing process. Given these and other deficiencies in the art, the need for certain new and useful improvements is evident.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above problems and others are at least partially solved and the above purposes and others realized in various new and improved mixing apparatus and methods. In one preferred apparatus embodiment, provided is a receptacle and an agitator capable of agitating material in the receptacle and conducting material to and from the receptacle. The agitator consists of an engine, at least one agitator element disposed in the receptacle, and a drive shaft coupling the engine to the agitator element. The engine drives the drive shaft, which transfers the mechanical power from the engine to the agitator element. The agitator is furnished with a conduit, which is associated with the drive shaft. The conduit is capable of conducting material to and from the receptacle, and has an open proximal extremity disposed outboard of the receptacle and an open distal extremity disposed in the receptacle. The engine consists of radial vanes attached to the drive shaft. The drive shaft is rotated to a chassis, which has a chamber that substantially encloses the vanes, an inlet leading to the chamber and an outlet leading from the chamber. The drive shaft is made to rotate in response to a flow of fluid acting on the vanes passing through the chamber from the inlet to the outlet. The chassis supports an adjustable baffle, which is capable of being adjusted for regulating a fluid flow through the chamber at one of the inlet and the outlet. A fixture secures the engine to the receptacle, and the agitator element consists of a collar attached to the drive shaft and radial blades pivoted to the collar. Preferably, a fluid pump is coupled in fluid communication to the open proximal extremity of the conduit, facilitating material transfer through the conduit.

Another preferred apparatus embodiment of the invention consists of a receptacle, an engine, at least one agitator element disposed in the receptacle, a drive shaft coupling the engine to the agitator element, and a conduit associated with the drive shaft that is capable of conducting material to and from the receptacle. The conduit has an open proximal extremity disposed outboard of the receptacle and an open distal extremity disposed in the receptacle. The engine drives the drive shaft, which transfers the mechanical power from the engine to the agitator element. The engine consists of radial vanes attached to the drive shaft. The drive shaft is rotated to a chassis, which has a chamber that substantially encloses the vanes, an inlet leading to the chamber and an outlet leading from the chamber. The drive shaft is made to rotate in response to a flow of fluid acting on the vanes passing through the chamber from the inlet to the outlet. The chassis supports an adjustable baffle, which is capable of being adjusted for regulating a fluid flow through the chamber at one of the inlet and the outlet. A fixture secures the engine to the receptacle, and the agitator element consists of a collar attached to the drive shaft and radial blades pivoted to the collar. Preferably, a fluid pump is coupled in fluid communication to the open proximal extremity, facilitating material transfer through the conduit.

Yet another preferred apparatus embodiment of the invention consists of a receptacle, an engine, at least one agitator element disposed in the receptacle, and a drive shaft coupling the engine to the agitator element. The engine drives the drive shaft, which transfers the mechanical power from the engine to the agitator element. In this embodiment, the engine consists of radial vanes attached to the drive shaft, in which the drive shaft is rotated to a chassis having a chamber substantially enclosing the vanes, an inlet leading to the chamber and an outlet leading from the chamber. The drive shaft is made to rotate in response to a flow of fluid acting on the vanes passing through the chamber from the inlet to the outlet. The agitator is furnished with a conduit, which is associated with the drive shaft. The conduit is capable of conducting material to and from the receptacle, and has an open proximal extremity disposed outboard of the receptacle and an open distal extremity disposed in the receptacle. The chassis supports an adjustable baffle, which is capable of being adjusted for regulating a fluid flow through the chamber at one of the inlet and the outlet. A fixture secures the engine to the receptacle, and the agitator element consists of a collar attached to the drive shaft and radial blades pivoted to the collar. Preferably, a fluid pump is coupled in fluid communication to the open proximal extremity, facilitating material transfer through the conduit.

Yet still another preferred apparatus embodiment of the invention consists of an engine, at least one agitator element, a drive shaft coupling the engine to the agitator element, and a conduit associated with the drive shaft that is capable of conducting material therethrough. The engine drives the drive shaft, which transfers the mechanical power from the engine to the agitator element. The conduit has an open proximal extremity disposed adjacent the engine and an open distal extremity disposed adjacent the agitator element. The engine consists of radial vanes attached to the drive shaft. The drive shaft is rotated to a chassis, which has a chamber that substantially encloses the vanes, an inlet leading to the chamber and an outlet leading from the chamber. The drive shaft is made to rotate in response to a flow of fluid acting on the vanes passing through the chamber from the inlet to the outlet. The chassis supports an adjustable baffle, which is capable of being adjusted for regulating a fluid flow through the chamber at one of the inlet and the outlet. A fixture is also provided, which is capable of securing the engine to a receptacle. The agitator element consists of a collar attached to the drive shaft and radial blades pivoted to the collar. Preferably, a fluid pump is coupled in fluid communication to the open proximal extremity, facilitating material transfer through the conduit.

Yet a further preferred apparatus embodiment of the invention consists of, an engine, at least one agitator element, and a drive shaft coupling the engine to the agitator element. The engine drives the drive shaft, which transfers the mechanical power from the engine to the agitator element. In this embodiment, the engine consists of radial vanes attached to the drive shaft, in which the drive shaft is rotated to a chassis having a chamber substantially enclosing the vanes, an inlet leading to the chamber and an outlet leading from the chamber. The drive shaft is made to rotate in response to a flow of fluid acting on the vanes passing through the chamber from the inlet to the outlet. The agitator is furnished with a conduit, which is associated with the drive shaft. The conduit is capable of conducting material therethrough, and has an open proximal extremity disposed adjacent the engine and an open distal extremity disposed adjacent the agitator element. The chassis supports an adjustable baffle, which is capable of being adjusted for regulating a fluid flow through the chamber at one of the inlet and the outlet. A fixture is also provided, which is capable of securing the engine to a receptacle. The agitator element consists of a collar attached to the drive shaft and radial blades pivoted to the collar. Preferably, a fluid pump is coupled in fluid communication to the open proximal extremity, facilitating material transfer through the conduit.

The invention also contemplates associated apparatus embodiments and methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1

is an isometric view of a mixer constructed in accordance with the principle of the instant invention, the mixer including a receptacle and an agitator capable of agitating material in the receptacle and conducting material to and from the receptacle, the agitator consisting of an engine attached to a fixture secured to the receptacle, an agitator element disposed in the receptacle, and a drive shaft coupling the engine to the agitator element;

FIG. 2

is an isometric view of the agitator of

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 3

is an enlarged isometric view of the engine depicted in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 4

is a top plan of the engine depicted in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 5

is a side elevation of the engine depicted in

FIG. 1

, the opposing side elevation being a substantial mirror image thereof;

FIG. 6

is a front elevation of the engine depicted in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 7

is an isometric view of the agitator of

FIG. 1

attached to the fixture;

FIG. 8

is an enlarged isometric view of the agitator element of

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 9

is an isometric view of a length of the drive shaft of the agitator of

FIG. 1

shown as it would appear furnished with a plurality of attached agitator elements;

FIG. 10

is vertical sectional view taken along line

10

—

10

of

FIG. 3

; and

FIG. 11

is an exploded isometric view of the engine of FIG.

1

.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This disclosure presents teachings of a novel mixer and agitator in addition to associated preferred apparatus and method embodiments. In general, the invention constitutes a receptacle and an agitator capable of agitating material in the receptacle and conducting material to and from the receptacle. The agitator consists of an engine, at least one agitator element disposed in the receptacle, and a drive shaft coupling the engine to the agitator element. The engine drives the drive shaft, which transfers the mechanical power from the engine to the agitator element. The agitator is furnished with a conduit, which is associated with the drive shaft. The conduit, which is part of the drive shaft, is capable of conducting material to and from the receptacle, and has an open proximal extremity disposed outboard of the receptacle and an open distal extremity disposed in the receptacle. The engine consists of radial vanes attached to the drive shaft. The drive shaft is rotated to a chassis, which has a chamber that substantially encloses the vanes, an inlet leading to the chamber and an outlet leading from the chamber. The drive shaft is made to rotate in response to a flow of fluid acting on the vanes passing through the chamber from the inlet to the outlet. The chassis supports an adjustable baffle, which is capable of being adjusted for regulating a fluid flow through the chamber at one of the inlet and the outlet. A fixture secures the engine to the receptacle, and the agitator element consists of a collar attached to the drive shaft and radial blades pivoted to the collar. Preferably, a fluid pump is coupled in fluid communication to the open proximal extremity of the conduit, facilitating material transfer to and from the receptacle through the conduit.

Turning now to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is first directed to

FIG. 1

in which is seen a mixer, embodying the principle of the instant invention, generally indicated by the reference character

20

including a receptacle

21

and an agitator

22

capable of agitating material

23

in receptacle

21

and conducting material to and from receptacle

21

. Material

23

in receptacle

21

is a slurry, a chemical mixture, paint, primer, pasta sauce, etc., or any other mixture requiring mixing, including various forms of high purity chemical mixture, slurries and other solutions, etc. Receptacle

21

is constructed of stainless steel or other selected metal or metal composite, plastic, ceramic or the like, and is composed of an upstanding continuous sidewall

24

having opposing upper and lower ends

24

A,

24

B. Receptacle

20

further includes a substantially horizontal top

25

affixed to end

24

B and a substantially horizontal bottom

26

affixed to end

24

B. Top

25

and bottom

26

cooperate with sidewall

24

to form a fluid impervious chamber

27

of receptacle

21

, in which material

23

is held and into which agitator

22

extends. Top

25

is fashioned with an opening or bunghole

28

, through which agitator

22

extends into chamber

27

.

Further to

FIG. 1

, agitator

22

consists of an engine

30

, an agitator element

32

and a drive shaft

33

coupling engine to agitator element

32

. In the embodiment depicted in

FIG. 1

, a stand/fixture

31

secures engine to receptacle

21

, and agitator element

32

is disposed in chamber

27

of receptacle

21

. When activated, engine

30

provided a mechanical force, which is transferred to agitator element

32

via drive shaft

33

agitating material

23

. In this case, engine

30

rotates drive shaft

33

, which rotational force drive shaft

33

supplies to agitator element

32

effecting a mixing of material

23

. Drive shaft

33

is elongate and substantially rigid, and is constructed of stainless steel or other selected metal or metal composite material, plastic, etc. In

FIG. 1

, drive shaft

33

extends through opening

28

and includes a proximal extremity/end

34

disposed outboard of receptacle

21

and a distal extremity/end

35

disposed in chamber

27

of receptacle

21

and, as illustrated, in material

23

. Engine

30

is attached to drive shaft

33

proximate end

34

and is disposed outboard of receptacle

21

. Agitator element

32

is attached to drive shaft

33

proximate end

35

and is disposed in chamber

27

and in material

23

. Although one agitator element is shown, more can be employed attached to drive shaft

33

.

FIG. 2

is an isometric view of agitator

22

, illustrating engine

30

, agitator element

32

and drive shaft

33

including ends

34

,

35

thereof.

FIG. 3

is an enlarged isometric view of engine

30

and end

34

of drive shaft

33

.

FIG. 4

is a top plan of engine

30

,

FIG. 5

is a side elevation of engine

30

and end

34

of shaft.

33

, and

FIG. 6

is a front elevation of engine

30

and end

34

of shaft

33

.

Regarding

FIG. 2

, drive shaft

33

associates with a conduit

38

that is capable of conducting material therethrough, for instance, to and from receptacle

21

(FIG.

1

). Ends

34

,

35

of drive shaft

33

are open and lead to a conduit

38

extending through and defined by drive shaft

33

from end

34

to end

35

. Conduit

38

is thus carried by drive shaft

33

. Conduit

38

can be formed with, associated with or otherwise attached to drive shaft either interiorly or exteriorly in other ways depending on particular needs, applications and construction preferences. As will be explained later in this specification, conduit

38

allows material to be transferred therethrough to and from receptacle

21

(FIG.

1

). It will be appreciated from the drawings that drive shaft

33

is essentially a long, rigid hollow tube having opposing open ends. This is a simple and inexpensive arrangement for not only providing a drive shaft but also providing a conduit as herein described.

Considering

FIGS. 10 and 11

in relevant part, engine

30

consists of a chassis

40

having opposing coaxial openings

41

,

42

leading to a chamber

43

bound by chassis

40

. Drive shaft

33

is rotated to engine

30

, and extends into and through openings

41

,

42

and chamber

43

. Drive shaft

33

thus attaches to engine

30

and rotates in openings

41

,

42

and chamber

43

in response to an impulse applied to drive shaft

33

by engine

30

. In general, engine

30

is disposed between ends

34

,

35

of drive shaft

33

, and, more particularly, is positioned adjacent end

34

, which is located somewhat outboard of engine

30

. Chassis

40

, which is preferably constructed of stainless steel or other selected metal or metal composite, plastic, ceramic or the like, consists of a base

50

, opposing parallel caps

51

,

52

and a continuous sidewall

53

. Cap

51

supports opening

41

, and cap

52

supports opening

42

. Sidewall

53

is disposed between caps

51

,

52

, which are secured at either end of base

50

. Caps

51

,

52

are preferably secured to base

50

with fasteners such as screws or bolts or the like, and welding or adhesive attachment can be used as well, including integral formation. Caps

51

,

52

and sidewall

53

cooperate together to define chamber

43

, at which are disposed vanes

60

and opposing parallel couplings

61

,

62

. Sidewall

53

encircles vanes

60

and couplings

61

,

62

, as illustrated. Sidewall

53

is secured in place and preferably to base

50

with fasteners such as screws or bolts or the like, and welding or adhesive attachment can be used as well, including integral formation. Caps

51

,

52

can be secured directly to sidewall

53

if desired. Vanes

60

are radially disposed at equally spaced intervals and are secured to and extend away from drive shaft

33

. Preferably, vanes

60

are made of stainless steel or other selected metal or metal composite, plastic or the like, and are secured to drive shaft

33

with welding, and yet adhesive can be used if desired, as well as mechanical fasteners such as screws, rivets, etc. Vanes

60

can also be integrally formed with drive shaft

33

, if desired.

Couplings

61

,

62

are fashioned of stainless steel or other selected metal or metal composite, plastic, ceramic or the like, and have central coaxial openings through which drive shaft

33

extends. Couplings

61

,

62

encircle and, in accordance with a preferred embodiment, secure tightly against drive shaft

33

. Couplings

61

,

62

are substantially identical and attach to the opposing ends of vanes

60

. Couplings

61

,

62

are fashioned with blind radial recesses or slots, which are dimensioned and positioned appropriately to receive therein and secure the opposing upper and lower ends of vanes

60

. The recesses of coupling

61

are denoted by the reference numeral

61

A (FIG.

1

), and the recesses of coupling

62

are denoted by the reference numeral

62

A. Couplings

61

,

62

can be attached to the ends of vanes

60

in other ways in accordance with the skill attributed to those of ordinary skill in the art.

A bearing/journaled attachment exists between couplings

61

,

62

and chassis

40

, permitting shaft

33

, the attached vanes

60

and couplings

61

,

62

to rotate together relative to the remaining structure of engine

30

. In this specific embodiment as best seen in

FIG. 10

, caps

51

,

52

are fashioned with inwardly directed and opposing recesses

70

,

71

, into which are disposed supports

72

,

73

, respectively. Supports

72

,

73

are fashioned of stainless steel or other selected metal or metal composite, plastic, ceramic or the like, encircle drive shaft

33

, and have central coaxial openings through which drive shaft

33

extends and are made to permit drive shaft

33

to rotate relative thereto. Support

72

carries an inwardly directed annular race

74

, which faces chamber

43

and an opposing annular race

75

carried by coupling

61

. An annular arrangement of ball bearings

76

is captured by and between races

74

,

75

, permitting coupling

61

to rotate relative to support

72

. Support

72

is fixed to cap

51

with fasteners

77

, which, in this specific embodiment, are arranged annularly and composed of threaded fasteners (screws or bolts) and yet other types of fasteners can be used if desired including rivets, one or more tongue and groove or male and female attachment features, adhesive, etc., and even press fitting or welding or adhesive, etc. Support

72

and cap

51

can be integrally formed or otherwise provided as a single component, if desired. Like support

72

, support

73

also carries an inwardly directed annular race

80

, which faces chamber

43

and an opposing annular race

81

carried by coupling

62

. An annular arrangement of ball bearings

82

is captured by and between races

80

,

81

, permitting coupling

62

to rotate relative to support

73

. Support

73

is fixed to cap

52

with fasteners, which are arranged annularly and are composed of threaded fasteners

84

(screws or bolts) and yet other types of fasteners can be used if desired including rivets, one or more tongue and groove or male and female attachment features, adhesive, etc., and even press fitting or welding or adhesive, etc. Support

73

and cap

52

can be integrally formed or otherwise provided as a single component, if desired. The arrangement of supports

72

,

73

and the described races and annular ball bearing arrangements constitute a preferred way of permitting shaft

33

, the attached vanes

60

and couplings

61

,

62

to rotate together relative to the remaining structure of engine

30

. Other bearing/journaled attachment structure can be used, if desired.

Referring to

FIGS. 2

,

3

and

6

, chassis

40

is fashioned with an inlet

90

and an outlet

91

, both of which communicate with chamber

43

(FIG.

10

). Inlet

90

and outlet

91

are disposed in a spaced-apart and parallel relationship to one another, and yet other orientations can be used consistent with this disclosure. Looking back to

FIG. 10

, inlet

90

extends through base

50

and sidewall

53

as does outlet

91

(not shown), and each at either side of drive shaft

33

. In a particular embodiment and with reference to

FIG. 1

, inlet

90

is attached to a line

92

that is capable of conducting fluid from a fluid source to inlet

90

. A pump

93

is coupled to line

92

, which when activated forcibly moves the fluid through line

92

and to chamber

43

(

FIG. 10

) by way of inlet

90

introducing a flow of fluid through chamber

43

. Fluid forcibly moved into chamber

43

through inlet

90

exits through outlet

91

. As the fluid flows through chamber

43

from inlet

90

to outlet

91

, it interacts with vanes

60

, which causes drive shaft

33

to rotate rotating agitator element

32

, which agitates material

23

effecting a mixing thereof. The fluid is preferably a selected gas such as air, nitrogen, etc., and pump

93

is any suitable air pump. The fluid can also be a selected fluid such as oil or the like, in which case pump

93

is a peristaltic pump or any other suitable fluid pump. Preferably, inlet

90

and outlet

91

are associated with a recirculating fluid delivery system, in which one or more pumps forcibly introduce a recirculating fluid flow through chamber from inlet

90

to outlet

91

. When pump

93

is active and moving fluid to and through engine

30

, engine is considered coupled to a pressured source of fluid. Rather than pump

93

providing a pressured source of fluid, other pressurized sources of fluid can be employed with the invention.

Rather than forcibly exerting fluid into chamber

43

for affecting a fluid flow through chamber

43

for the purpose of imparting rotation to drive shaft

33

, fluid can be pulled through chamber

43

for affecting the fluid flow through chamber

43

. In a particular embodiment in this regard, outlet

91

is attached to a line

95

that is capable of conducting fluid. A pump

96

is coupled to line

95

, which when activated forcibly draws fluid from chamber

43

, which is supplied thereto through inlet

90

, thus introducing a fluid flow through chamber

43

. Thus, fluid is forcibly drawn into chamber

43

from inlet

90

and through chamber

43

and outwardly therefrom through outlet

91

and into line

95

in response to activation of pump

96

. As the fluid flows through chamber

43

in this manner, it interacts with vanes

60

, which causes drive shaft

33

to rotate rotating agitator element

32

, which agitates material

23

effecting a mixing thereof. The fluid is preferably a selected gas such as air, nitrogen, etc., and pump

96

is any suitable air/vacuum pump. The fluid can also be a selected fluid such as oil or the like, in which case pump

96

is a peristaltic pump or any other suitable fluid pump. Preferably in connection with the instant embodiment, inlet

90

and outlet

91

are associated with a recirculating fluid delivery system, in which one or more pumps forcibly introduce a recirculating fluid flow through chamber from inlet

90

to outlet

91

. When pump

96

is active and moving fluid through engine

30

, engine is considered coupled to a pressured source of fluid. Rather than pump

96

providing a pressured source of fluid, other pressurized sources of fluid can be employed with the invention.

In order to control the rotational speed of drive shaft

33

, pump

93

can be of a type that is capable of being adjusted for controlling the speed of the fluid flow. The same also is true for pump

96

, if it is employed. Alternatively, and with attention directed to

FIG. 10

, chassis

40

is furnished with an attached baffle

100

that interacts with inlet

90

. In the embodiment depicted in

FIG. 10

, baffle

100

is elongate and is threadably attached to and within a bore extending through base

50

to inlet

90

. By rotating baffle

100

, such as with a screwdriver or by hand, baffle

100

is capable of being moved reciprocally between a first position into inlet

90

interfering with the flow of fluid therethrough slowing the fluid flow through chamber

43

and thus slowing the rotation of drive shaft

33

, and a second position away from inlet

90

permitting unobstructed fluid flow through inlet

90

establishing an unobstructed fluid flow through chamber

43

maximizing the rotational speed of drive shaft

33

. Baffle

100

can be set at various locations between its first and second positions for effecting a desired rotational speed of drive shaft

33

, which speed will depend on the mixing action that is desired to be delivered to a mixture by agitator element

32

. And so baffle

100

is capable of being adjusted reciprocally between its first and second positions. Although a threaded attachment permits this reciprocal adjustment, baffle

100

can be press fit into bore

101

and movable reciprocally in response to exerting pushing and pulling forces against it. Other ways of mounting baffle

100

for reciprocal adjustment can be employed, if desired. Also, outlet

91

can be furnished with a similar baffle for controlling fluid flow through chamber

43

at outlet

91

, which baffle is denoted at

105

in

FIGS. 2-4

,

6

and

11

.

Referring momentarily to

FIG. 8

, agitator element

32

is a bladed attachment consisting of blades

110

pivoted to a collar

111

securing drive shaft

33

. Collar

111

encircles drive shaft

33

and is secured thereto with one or more fasteners whether one or more threaded fasteners or one or more other suitable fasteners. Adhesive attachment and welding can also be used, if desired. A press fit can also be used. Collar

111

can be integrally formed with drive shaft

33

, if desired. Interlocking rings pivotally attach blades

110

to collar

111

as illustrated, and yet other pivoted attachment arrangements can be used in accordance with ordinary skill. Blades

110

pivot between a collapsed position toward one another and an extended position splayed away from one another as illustrated in FIG.

10

. In the collapsed position, agitator element

32

is easily inserted through an opening of a receptacle in which material is to be mixed, such as opening

28

of receptacle

21

. In response to rotation of shaft

33

and, thus, rotation of agitator element

32

, centripetal force introduced to agitator element

32

causes blades

110

to pivot from their collapsed position to their splayed position effecting an efficient mixing of material by blades

110

. Although agitator element

32

is disposed proximate end

35

of drive shaft

33

as illustrated in

FIGS. 1 and 10

in addition to

FIGS. 2 and 7

, it can be secured at other locations between ends

34

,

35

of shaft

33

. Also, although one agitator element

32

is set forth,

FIG. 9

is instructive of the teaching that a plurality of agitator elements

32

can be employed, if desired.

Regarding

FIG. 1

, fixture

31

maintains the engagement between agitator

22

and receptacle

21

, which engagement is illustrated and explained throughout this specification. In the particular embodiment set forth in

FIG. 1

, an upwardly extending rim

120

is attached at end

24

A of receptacle

21

. Fixture

31

is fashioned from steel or other selected metal or metal composite, plastic, ceramic or other suitably strong and rigid material, and has opposing ends

121

,

122

. A clamp

123

characterizes end

121

, which seizes and secures rim

120

. Fixture

31

extends upwardly from rim

120

to end

122

. Engine

30

is disposed proximate end

122

of fixture

31

, and is pivoted to a bifurcated feature

124

, which is also illustrated in FIG.

7

. Clamp

123

can take on any form that is capable of accommodating and securing rim

120

. In the instant embodiment, clamp

123

consists opposing pairs of elements

125

,

126

that together define a channel capable of receiving therein rim

120

. Threaded attachments

128

carried by elements

125

can be tightened against rim

120

, securing fixture

31

to rim

120

. Reversing this operation detaches fixture

31

from rim

120

. Threaded attachments

128

can be carried by elements

126

, if desired. Other clamp forms capable of securing fixture

31

to receptacle

21

can be employed. Fixture

31

can also be welded to receptacle

21

, if desired, or secured to receptacle

21

in other ways. As seen in

FIG. 1

, fixture

31

is fashioned with an opening

130

revealing inlet

90

and outlet

91

permitting the coupling thereto of lines

92

,

95

, respectfully. Other ways of securing agitator

22

in place can be used. Agitator

22

can also be secured to a supporting structure other than the receptacle it associates with, if desired.

Further to

FIG. 1

, it is important to not that end

34

of drive shaft

33

, which is disposed somewhat outboard of engine

30

and is open as disclosed, is coupled to a line

140

via a coupling

141

, which is rotated to end

34

. Coupling

141

, which is a type provided by PARKER HANNIFIN of Cleveland, Ohio, effects a fluid coupling with end

34

and yet permits end

34

to rotate, naturally, when drive shaft

33

is driven for rotation by engine

30

. Other such types of couplings can be used. Material is capable of being transferred through drive shaft

33

and, more particularly, through conduit

38

(not shown in

FIG. 1

) of drive, between receptacle

21

and line

140

. In this regard, drive shaft

33

serves not only as the mechanism for transferring mechanical power from engine

30

to agitator element

32

, but also as the device for allowing material to be transferred between receptacle

21

and line

140

. Line

140

can be associated with a fluid pump

142

, such as a peristaltic pump or other suitable fluid pump, for pumping material through line

140

to and from receptacle

21

. And so material can be transferred to receptacle through conduit

38

of drive shaft

33

for mixing and mixed material can be transferred from receptacle

21

through conduit

38

of drive shaft

33

. Line

140

can be attached to any associated device, such as a paint sprayer or other device, for taking mixed material supplied to line

140

from receptacle

21

and using the material for a given application. Pump

142

can actually be part of a paint sprayer or other device. Furthermore, it is important to note that a long needle or extractor device is capable of being disposed through the conduit of drive shaft

33

for introducing fluid into a receptacle and taking fluid from the receptacle.

The present invention is described above with reference to preferred embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made in the described embodiments without departing from the nature and scope of the present invention. For instance, although engine

33

is preferred and new and useful, other engine forms capable of delivering agitating impulse to drive shaft

33

can be used. Various changes and modifications to the embodiments herein chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art. To the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof.

Number	Name	Date	Kind
1167536	Tokheim	Jan 1916	A
3559962	Enssle et al.	Feb 1971	A
4083653	Stiffler	Apr 1978	A
4184778	Terrels	Jan 1980	A
4501500	Terrels	Feb 1985	A
5193908	Rescorla et al.	Mar 1993	A
5362148	Lehrke et al.	Nov 1994	A
5941636	Lu	Aug 1999	A

Fluid driven rotary agitator with suction conduit

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CPC

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Abstract

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US Referenced Citations (8)