Industrial capillary viscometer

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE VISCOSITY OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE LIQUIDS, WHICH COMPRISES AN EVACUABLE SAMPLING VESSEL FOR RECEIVING A QUANTITY OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE LIQUID FROM AN UNDERLYING SOURCE THEREOF, SAID SAMPLING VESSEL BEING DISPOSED FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SUCH LIQUID SOURCE ALONG A VERTICAL PATH AND BETWEEN AN UPPER POSITION AND A LOWER POSITION THEREON, A CAPILLARY MEMBER SUPPORTED BY SAID SAMPLING VESSEL FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH AND DISPOSED THERETHROUGH FOR EXTENSION INTO SAID LIQUID SOURCE WHEN THE VESSEL IS IN SAID LOWER POSITION TO ACCOMMODATE THE INTRODUCTION OF A PREDETERMINED SAMPLE QUANTITY OF THE LIQUID INTO SAID VESSEL WHEN SAME IS EVACUATED TO A REDUCED PRESSURE, AND TO PERMIT THE EFFLUX OF SAID LIQUID SAMPLE FROM THE VESSEL UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY WHEN SAID VESSEL IS IN SAID UPPER POSITION AND RELIEVED OF SAID EVACUATION, THREE ELECTRODES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID VESSEL FROM THE UPPER PORTION THEREOF AND DISPOSED FOR ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE CONTACT WITH THE LIQUID THEREIN TO SENSE THE LEVEL OF SUCH LIQUID AND CHANGES IN LEVEL THEREOF, THE FIRST OF SAID ELECTRODES EXTENDING TO A LOWERMOST POSITION IN SAID VESSEL, THE SECOND OF SAID ELECTRODES EXTENDING TO A LOWER POSITION IN SAID VESSEL BUT ABOVE THAT OF THE FIRST ELECTRODE AND CORRESPONDING TO A PREDETERMINED LOWER LIQUID LEVEL IN THE VESSEL, AND THE THIRD OF SAID ELECTRODES EXTENDING TO A POSITION IN SAID VESSEL ABOVE THOSE OF THE FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES AND CORRESPONDING TO A PREDETERMINED UPPER LIQUID LEVEL IN THE VESSEL, SAID FIRST AND THIRD ELECTRODES BEING DISPOSED TO ESTABLISH A FIRST ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH THEREBETWEEN THROUGH THE LIQUID IN THE VESSEL WHEN SAID LIQUID IS AT A LEVEL AT LEAST EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED UPPER LIQUID LEVEL, AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES BEING DISPOSED TO ESTABLISH A SECOND ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH THEREBETWEEN THROUGH THE LIQUID IN THE VESSEL WHEN SAID LIQUID IS AT A LEVEL AT LEAST EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED LOWER LIQUID LEVEL, TIME MEASURING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID THREE ELECTRODES FOR MEASURING THE TIME INTERVAL BETWEEN THE BREAKING OF SAID FIRST ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH AND THE BREAKING OF SAID SECOND ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH, MOTOR MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SAMPLING VESSEL FOR SELECTIVELY MOVING SAME RELATIVE TO THE LIQUID SOURCE AND INTO SAID UPPER AND LOWER POSITIONS, SAID MOTOR MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND THIRD ELECTRODES AND RESPONSIVE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SAID FIRST ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH THEREBETWEEN TO RAISE SAID VESSEL FROM ITS LOWER POSITION TO ITS UPPER POSITION WHEN THE LIQUID IN SAID VESSEL RISES TO AT LEAST SAID PREDETERMINED UPPER LIQUID LEVEL, AND VALVE MEANS DISPOSED FOR COMMUNICATION WITH SAID VESSEL AND FOR COMMUNICATION WITH A VACUUM SOURCE FOR SELECTIVELY EVACUATING SAID VESSEL WHEN SAME IS IN ITS LOWER POSITION TO DRAW LIQUID FROM SAID LIQUID SOURCE INTO SAID VESSEL, AND FOR VENTING SAID VESSEL TO RELIEVE THE EVACUATION THEREOF WHEN SAID VESSEL IS IN ITS UPPER POSITION TO PERMIT EFFLUX OF LIQUID THEREIN THROUGH SAID CAPILLARY MEMBER UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY, SAID VALVE MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND THIRD ELECTRODES AND RESPONSIVE TO THE EXISTENCE OF SAID FIRST ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH THEREBETWEEN TO VENT SAID VESSEL WHEN SAME IS RAISED BY MOTOR MEANS, WHEREBY THE VISCOSITY OF THE CONDUCTIVE LIQUID CAN BE DETERMINED BY MOVING THE SAMPLING VESSEL TO ITS LOWER POSITION BY THE MOTOR MEANS AND OPERATING SAID VALVE MEANS TO EVACUATE THE VESSEL AND THEREBY DRAW LIQUID FROM THE SOURCE THEREOF INTO SAID VESSEL UNTIL THE LIQUID LEVEL THEREIN RISES TO SAID PREDETERMINED UPPER LEVEL AND ESTABLISHES SAID FIRST CONDUCTIVE PATH WHEREUPON IN RESPONSE THERETO, THE MOTOR MEANS RAISES SAID VESSEL TO ITS UPPER POSITION AND THE VALVE MEANS VENTS SAID VESSEL TO PERMIT EFFLUX OF THE LIQUID THEREFROM BY GRAVITY THROUGH THE CAPILLARY MEMBER, THEREBY DISCHARGING A QUANTITY OF LIQUID CORRESPONSING TO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID PREDETERMINED UPPER AND LOWER LIQUID LEVELS DURING THE TIME INTERVAL BETWEEN THE BREAKING OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONDUCTIVE PATHS IN SEQUENCE, WITH SAID TIME INTERVAL AS MEASURED BY THE TIME MEASURING MEANS CORRESPONDING TO THE VISCOSITY OF THE LIQUID.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE VISCOSITY OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE LIQUIDS, WHICH COMPRISES AN EVACUABLE SAMPLING VESSEL FOR RECEIVING A QUANTITY OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE LIQUID FROM AN UNDERLYING SOURCE THEREOF, SAID SAMPLING VESSEL BEING DISPOSED FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SUCH LIQUID SOURCE ALONG A VERTICAL PATH AND BETWEEN AN UPPER POSITION AND A LOWER POSITION THEREON, A CAPILLARY MEMBER SUPPORTED BY SAID SAMPLING VESSEL FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH AND DISPOSED THERETHROUGH FOR EXTENSION INTO SAID LIQUID SOURCE WHEN THE VESSEL IS IN SAID LOWER POSITION TO ACCOMMODATE THE INTRODUCTION OF A PREDETERMINED SAMPLE QUANTITY OF THE LIQUID INTO SAID VESSEL WHEN SAME IS EVACUATED TO A REDUCED PRESSURE, AND TO PERMIT THE EFFLUX OF SAID LIQUID SAMPLE FROM THE VESSEL UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY WHEN SAID VESSEL IS IN SAID UPPER POSITION AND RELIEVED OF SAID EVACUATION, THREE ELECTRODES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID VESSEL FROM THE UPPER PORTION THEREOF AND DISPOSED FOR ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE CONTACT WITH THE LIQUID THEREIN TO SENSE THE LEVEL OF SUCH LIQUID AND CHANGES IN LEVEL THEREOF, THE FIRST OF SAID ELECTRODES EXTENDING TO A LOWERMOST POSITION IN SAID VESSEL, THE SECOND OF SAID ELECTRODES EXTENDING TO A LOWER POSITION IN SAID VESSEL BUT ABOVE THAT OF THE FIRST ELECTRODE AND CORRESPONDING TO A PREDETERMINED LOWER LIQUID LEVEL IN THE VESSEL, AND THE THIRD OF SAID ELECTRODES EXTENDING TO A POSITION IN SAID VESSEL ABOVE THOSE OF THE FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES AND CORRESPONDING TO A PREDETERMINED UPPER LIQUID LEVEL IN THE VESSEL, SAID FIRST AND THIRD ELECTRODES BEING DISPOSED TO ESTABLISH A FIRST ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH THEREBETWEEN THROUGH THE LIQUID IN THE VESSEL WHEN SAID LIQUID IS AT A LEVEL AT LEAST EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED UPPER LIQUID LEVEL, AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES BEING DISPOSED TO ESTABLISH A SECOND ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH THEREBETWEEN THROUGH THE LIQUID IN THE VESSEL WHEN SAID LIQUID IS AT A LEVEL AT LEAST EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED LOWER LIQUID LEVEL, TIME MEASURING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID THREE ELECTRODES FOR MEASURING THE TIME INTERVAL BETWEEN THE BREAKING OF SAID FIRST ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH AND THE BREAKING OF SAID SECOND ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH, MOTOR MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SAMPLING VESSEL FOR SELECTIVELY MOVING SAME RELATIVE TO THE LIQUID SOURCE AND INTO SAID UPPER AND LOWER POSITIONS, SAID MOTOR MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND THIRD ELECTRODES AND RESPONSIVE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SAID FIRST ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH THEREBETWEEN TO RAISE SAID VESSEL FROM ITS LOWER POSITION TO ITS UPPER POSITION WHEN THE LIQUID IN SAID VESSEL RISES TO AT LEAST SAID PREDETERMINED UPPER LIQUID LEVEL, AND VALVE MEANS DISPOSED FOR COMMUNICATION WITH SAID VESSEL AND FOR COMMUNICATION WITH A VACUUM SOURCE FOR SELECTIVELY EVACUATING SAID VESSEL WHEN SAME IS IN ITS LOWER POSITION TO DRAW LIQUID FROM SAID LIQUID SOURCE INTO SAID VESSEL, AND FOR VENTING SAID VESSEL TO RELIEVE THE EVACUATION THEREOF WHEN SAID VESSEL IS IN ITS UPPER POSITION TO PERMIT EFFLUX OF LIQUID THEREIN THROUGH SAID CAPILLARY MEMBER UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY, SAID VALVE MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND THIRD ELECTRODES AND RESPONSIVE TO THE EXISTENCE OF SAID FIRST ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATH THEREBETWEEN TO VENT SAID VESSEL WHEN SAME IS RAISED BY MOTOR MEANS, WHEREBY THE VISCOSITY OF THE CONDUCTIVE LIQUID CAN BE DETERMINED BY MOVING THE SAMPLING VESSEL TO ITS LOWER POSITION BY THE MOTOR MEANS AND OPERATING SAID VALVE MEANS TO EVACUATE THE VESSEL AND THEREBY DRAW LIQUID FROM THE SOURCE THEREOF INTO SAID VESSEL UNTIL THE LIQUID LEVEL THEREIN RISES TO SAID PREDETERMINED UPPER LEVEL AND ESTABLISHES SAID FIRST CONDUCTIVE PATH WHEREUPON IN RESPONSE THERETO, THE MOTOR MEANS RAISES SAID VESSEL TO ITS UPPER POSITION AND THE VALVE MEANS VENTS SAID VESSEL TO PERMIT EFFLUX OF THE LIQUID THEREFROM BY GRAVITY THROUGH THE CAPILLARY MEMBER, THEREBY DISCHARGING A QUANTITY OF LIQUID CORRESPONSING TO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID PREDETERMINED UPPER AND LOWER LIQUID LEVELS DURING THE TIME INTERVAL BETWEEN THE BREAKING OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONDUCTIVE PATHS IN SEQUENCE, WITH SAID TIME INTERVAL AS MEASURED BY THE TIME MEASURING MEANS CORRESPONDING TO THE VISCOSITY OF THE LIQUID.