Retractable variable capacity breather system

Claim 2

In an upright normally sealed storage structure for storing perishable materials, the structure being adapted for loading and unloading of the stored material resulting in a varying amount of headspace at the top of the structure, the breather system comprising: A support assembly attached to the storage structure; A breather member operably conneCted to the support assembly, the breather member defining a closed chamber located in the headspace and having an expansible surface exposed internally to ambient pressure and exposed externally to pressure in the headspace and the breather member being retractable and extensible to and from the support assembly, the breather member having a larger volume in the extended condition; and A retractor assembly connected with said breather member and having a storage member with which portions of said breather member are stored as said retractor assembly selectively retracts and extends said breather member.

Claim 3

The invention defined by claim 1, wherein the structure is adapted for loading at its upper end, the support structure is disposed at the top and the breather member and storage member occupy only insubstantial space in the top of the structure when the breather member is fully retracted and stored.

Claim 4

The invention defined by claim 2, wherein the breather member comprises a flexible bag exposed internally to the ambient pressures, the bag being expandable and contractable in response to pressure differentials between the ambient and the headspace, and the bag when contracted being foldable into a flattened condition.

Claim 5

The structure of claim 3, and including an extendible outlet tube attached to the extended portion of the bag and extending to an opening in the storage structure, said tube defining a passageway between the ambient and the inside of the bag, and the tube being extendible in accordance with the retraction and extension of the bag.

Claim 6

In an upright generally sealed storage structure for storing perishable materials, the structure being adapted for loading and unloading of the stored material resulting in a varying amount of headspace at the top of the structure; the breather system comprising: A flexible bag disposed in the headspace, the bag being exposed internally to the ambient pressures and being expandable and contractable in response to pressure differentials between the ambient and the headspace, the bag further being retractable and extensible within the headspace and having a larger volume in the extended condition, and the bag portions when contracted being foldable into a flattened condition; and A retractor assembly including a rotatable reel having a drum, the reel being supported at the top of the storage structure, the drum providing a winding and support surface to which one end of the bag is attached an over which the portion of the bag which is in the flattened condition is wound by rotation of the reel, and a reel operating member connected to the reel and operable to exert torque on the reel.

Claim 7

In an upright generally sealed storage structure for storing perishable materials, the structure being adapted for loading and unloading of the stored material resulting in a varying amount of headspace at the top of the structure; the breather system comprising: A flexible bag disposed in the headspace, the bag being exposed internally to the ambient pressures and being expandable and contractable in response to pressure differentials between the ambient and the headspace, the bag further being retractable and extensible within the headspace and having a larger volume in the extended condition, and the bag portions when contracted being foldable into a flattened condition; and A retractor assembly including a rotatable reel having a drum, the reel being supported at the top of the storage structure, the drum providing a winding and support surface to which one end of the bag is attached an over which the portion of the bag which is in the flattened condition is wound by rotation of the reel, and a reel operating member connected to the reel and operable to exert torque on the reel.

Claim 8

The structure defined by claim 5, wherein the bag is elongated and has at least one longitudinally extending pleat, the bag being foldable against said pleat to partially assume said flattened condition.

Claim 9

The structure defined by claim 6 wherein the bag has a series of second longitudinally extending pleats extending a substantial distance from the portion of the bag which is attached to the drum, the bag being foldable against said pleats.

Claim 10

The structure defined by claim 5, wherein the bag has front and back elongated sections, portions of said sections being attached to the drum and extending laterally away from the winding surface, the front and back sections having corresponding side edges, the bag also having intermediate sections connecting said corresponding side edges, and the intermediate portions are each pleated and foldable when the bag is contracted.

Claim 11

The structure defined by claim 5, wherein the bag depends lengthwise freely from the reel drum a predetermined distance in accordance with the degree of winding of the flattened portion of the bag over the drum; said bag is comprised of a set of front and back panels the width of which extend longitudinally of the drum winding surface, said panels having longitudinal side edges and bottom edges, and a second series of panels connEcted to corresponding pairs of said longitudinal edges and extending between the bottom edges; a pleat disposed in said second set of panels and extending around the periphery of the bag; and the front and back panels being foldable against the pleat during contraction of the bag and in such condition provide said flattened condition of the bag.

Claim 12

The structure of claim 9, wherein the pleat is formed in a portion of the bag which is less expandable then the second set of panels and the pleat when contracted is disposed inward of the longitudinal and bottom edges in accordance with the desired degree of flattening of the bag when contracted.

Claim 13

The structure defined by claim 5, and including an outlet assembly comprising: a flexible outlet tube attached to the bag; reel means attached to the storage structure and carrying the outlet tube for winding the tube in and out in accordance with the winding of the bag over the drum; and a hollow outlet joint connected to the tube at the location of the reel means and communicating with an opening in the storage structure, said joint having swivel means for following the tube during winding in and out by the reel means and providing a moveable gas connection to the joint, said tube and joint defining a gas passageway between the inside of the bag and the ambient.

Claim 14

In a normally sealed storage structure for storing perishable materials, the combination comprising: a support structure connected to the storage structure; A flexible breather bag operably attached to the support structure, the bag having an extended condition and a retracted condition relative to the support structure, and the bag being expansible to a predetermined maximum volume in each condition, with the maximum volume in the extended condition being substantially larger than the maximum volume in the retracted condition; bag retractor means attached to the bag for retracting and extending the bag and for maintaining the bag in a predetermined extended or retracted condition; and outlet means having a flexible tube connected to the extended portion of the bag and extending to an opening in the storage structure for providing communication between the bag and the ambient pressure, the outlet means being constructed to allow the tube to follow the retraction and extension of the bag.

Claim 15

In a normally sealed storage structure for storing perishable materials, the combination comprising: a support structure connected to the storage structure; A flexible breather bag operably attached to the support structure, the bag having an extended condition and a retracted condition relative to the support structure, and the bag being expansible to a predetermined maximum volume in each condition, with the maximum volume in the extended condition being substantially larger than the maximum volume in the retracted condition; bag retractor means attached to the bag for retracting and extending the bag and for maintaining the bag in a predetermined extended or retracted condition; and outlet means having a flexible tube connected to the extended portion of the bag and extending to an opening in the storage structure for providing communication between the bag and the ambient pressure, the outlet means being constructed to allow the tube to follow the retraction and extension of the bag.