Sleeve valve

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FILLING BAGS WITH GRANULAR OR POWDERED MATERIALS CONTAINED IN A HOPPER COMPRISING A BAG FILLING MACHINE ADAPTED FOR LOCATION BENEATH THE OUTLET OF SAID HOPPER, AND WHICH INCLUDES AN UPRIGHT CONDITIONING CHAMBER HAVING AN INLET AT THE TOP WALL THEREOF, A FILLING SPOUT DISPOSED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID CONDITIONING CHAMBER FOR FILLING THE BAG, A DIFFUSER PAD LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID CONDITIONING CHAMBER FOR FLUIDIZING THE MATERIAL IN SAID CONDITIONING CHAMBER TO CAUSE THE SAME TO FLOW THROUGH SAID SPOUT, AN AIR LINE CONNECTED TO SAID DIFFUSER PAD FOR SUPPLYING FLUIDIZING AIR THERETO, AND A SLEEVE VALVE DISPOSED ABOVE SAID CONDITIONING CHAMBER BETWEEN SAID INLET AND SAID HOPPER, AND PROVIDING A VALVE PASSAGE HAVING A CROSS SECTIONAL AREA WHICH IS LARGE WITH RESPECT TO THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID CONDITIONING CHAMBER SO AS TO PERMIT THE FREELY FALLING FLOW OF SAID GRANULAR OR POWDERED MATERIALS FROM SAID HOPPER AND THROUGH SAID PASSAGEWAY AND INTO SAID CONDITIONING CHAMBER, SAID SLEEVE VALVE COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL CASING HAVING A DIAMETER MORE THAN HALF THE LENGTH OF SAID VALVE PASSAGE, A RUBBER SLEEVE DISPOSED INTERIORLY OF SAID CASING AND SECURED AT ITS ENDS TO SAID CASING IN GAS-TIGHT RELATIONSHIP, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A FLUID INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SLEEVE AND SAID CASING, AND A CORE DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SLEEVE AND COMPRISING A SPIDER HAVING A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY DISPOSED WEBS, THE EDGES OF SAID WEBS EXTENDING FOR SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL LENGTH OF SAID CASING AND ENGAGING THE SLEEVE WHEN IT IS IN ITS RELAXED POSITION AND DIVIDING SAID VALVE PASSAGE INTERIORLY OF SAID SLEEVE INTO A PLURALITY OF PASSAGEWAYS, SAID SLEEVE BEING DIVIDED BY THE EDGES OF SAID WEBS INTO A PLURALITY OF SLEEVE SEGMENTS WHICH ARE SEPARATELY EXTENSIBLE SO AS TO PROVIDE A SEPARATE CLOSING MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS, SAID WEBS PROVIDING A BACKING AGAINST WHICH PARTICLES OF SAID FREELY FALLING GRANULAR OR POWDERED MATERIALS MAY BE RESILIENTLY ENGAGED BY SAID SLEEVE SEGMENTS AND ENTRAPPED TO PROVIDE A SEAL WHICH PREVENTS UPWARD FLOW OF FLUIDIZING AIR THROUGH SAID PASSAGEWAYS.