Machine for producing laundry products

Abstract

Abstract AN IMPROVED MACHINE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A LAUNDRY PRODUCT COMPRISING GENERALLY SPHERICAL BEADS FORMED FROM PARTICLES OF SOAP, SYNTHETIC DETERGENT, OR THE LIKE. IN THE MACHINE AND METHOD OF THIS INVENTION, THE PARTICLES ARE FORMED INTO AN ANNULAR FLUIDIZED BED OF PARTICLES AND GAS IN A ROTATABLE CHAMBER AS A RESULT OF RELATIVELY HIGH SPEED ROTATION OF THE CHAMBER AND CONTINUOUS INTRODUCTION OF GAS INTO THE ROTATING CHAMBER. PERIODICALLY THE PARTICLES ARE TUMBLED IN THE CHAMBER BY ABRUPTLY REDUCING THE ROTATIONAL SPEED OF THE CHAMBER. THE PARTICLES MAY BE TREATED IN THE CHAMBER BY THE INTRODUCTION OF FLUIDS ONTO THE PARTICLES IN THE ROTATING CHAMBER. THE MACHINE OF THE PRESENT INVENTION ALSO INCLUDES NOVEL MEANS FOR INTRODUCING THE PARTICLES INTO THE ROTATING CHAMBER, FOR REMOVING THE BEADS FROM THE ROTATING CHAMBER, FOR INTRODUCING GAS UNDER PRESSURE INTO THE ROTATING CHAMBER TO FLUIDIZE THE PARTICLES IN THE ANNULAR BED, AND FOR RECIRCULATING THE GAS EXHAUSTED FROM THE CHAMBER BACK INTO THE ROTATING CHAMBER. THE GENERALLY SPHERICAL BEADS OF SOAP, SYNTHETIC DETERGENT OR THE LIKE PRODUCED BY THE MACHINE AND METHOD OF THIS INVENTION ARE RELATIVELY DENSE, HAVE A RELATIVELY LOW MOISTING CONTENT AND MAY INCLUDE ONE OR MORE OUTER LAYERS OR COATINGS OF SOLIDIFIED TREATING FLUID, WITH EACH BEAD CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME MATERIALS AND PROPORTION OF MATERIALS AS ARE IN THE OTHER BEADS.

Inventors

• 👤 Donald E Marshall

Bibliographic Details