Apparatus for feeding viscous materials

Claim 1

An apparatus for feeding a fluid material, comprising: a storage container for a fluid material, stirring means in said container including vanes rotatable about a horizontal axis whereby said vanes effect a vertical intermixing of any fluid materials in said container; a feeder means connected to said container for discharging a predetermined volume of fluid material from said container in the form of successive slugs, said feeder means comprising a first cylinder and a second cylinder arranged transversely of each other whereby their respective bores transversely intersect each other, said first cylinder communicating with said container, and a first piston and a second piston slidably mounted and tightly sealed in said first and second cylinders, respectively, for reciprocating in said cylinders, and said first piston being of a length such that it always bridges the intersection of said cylinders, a portion of the first piston further from the container being of a diameter whereby it effectively seals off from said first cylinder the portions of said second cylinder which are on opposite sides of said intersection, a portion of said first piston nearer the container being radially recessed along an axial length substantially equal to the diameter of said second cylinder bore, an internal channel in said first piston extending axially from the end of said first piston facing the container to a point on the other side of the aforementioned radial recess, said channel emerging radially for communicating with said second cylinder, and said second piston adapted to reciprocate without passing through the intersection between said cylinders; drive means for driving said pistons in accordance with a predetermined pattern of movement, wherein said second piston is adapted to move toward the end of its stroke which is remote from the intersection of said cylinders when said first piston is at the end of its stroke where it is nearer said container, and said internal channel forms a passageway from said container to said second cylinder; and said second piston is adapted to move toward the other end of its stroke toward said intersection when said first piston is at the end of its stroke further from said container with the radially recessed portion thereof being aligned with said second cylinder, whereby fluid material may flow through said second cylinder past said intersection in response to the movement of said second piston toward said intersection.

Claim 2

An apparatus for feeding a fluid material, comprising: a storage container for a fluid material, stirring means in said container including vanes rotatable about a horizontal axis whereby said vanes effect a vertical intermixing of any fluid materials in said container; a feeder means connected to said container for discharging a predetermined volume of fluid material from said container in the form of successive slugs, said feeder means comprising a first cylinder and a second cylinder arranged transversely of each other whereby their respective bores transversely intersect each other, said first cylinder communicating with said container, and a first piston and a second piston slidably mounted and tightly sealed in said first and second cylinders, respectively, for reciprocating in said cylinders, and said first piston being of a length such that it always bridges the intersection of said cylinders, a portion of the first piston further from the container being of a diameter whereby it effectively seals off from said first cylinder the portions of said second cylinder which are on opposite sides of said intersection, a portion of said first piston nearer the container being radially recessed along an axial length substantially equal to the diameter of said second cylinder bore, an internal channel in said first piston extending axially from the end of said first piston facing the container to a point on the other side of the aforementioned radial recess, said channel emerging radially for communicating with said second cylinder, and said second piston adapted to reciprocate without passing through the intersection between said cylinders; drive means for driving said pistons in accordance with a predetermined pattern of movement, wherein said second piston is adapted to move toward the end of its stroke which is remote from the intersection of said cylinders when said first piston is at the end of its stroke where it is nearer said container, and said internal channel forms a passageway from said container to said second cylinder; and said second piston is adapted to move toward the other end of its stroke toward said intersection when said first piston is at the end of its stroke further from said container with the radially recessed portion thereof being aligned with said second cylinder, whereby fluid material may flow through said second cylinder past said intersection in response to the movement of said second piston toward said intersection.