Apparatus for dispensing heat softenable adhesive initially in granule form

Claim 2

Apparatus for dispensing heat softenable adhesive initially in granular form, comprising: walls defining a chamber for receiving adhesive granules and having an outlet through one wall, pins within the chamber defining at least one progressively narrowing passage, said passage having a largest opening for receiving adhesive granules and a smallest end adjacent the outlet from the chamber, means for heating the pins defining the passage to heat soften adhesive in the passage; and a vessel adjacent the outlet for collecting the heat softened adhesive.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the largest opening of the passage has cross-sectional dimensions substantially equal to the largest dimensions of an adhesive granule for admitting one or a few granules to the passage at a time.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the pins defining the passage are conical and have a largest diameter portion secured to a wall of the chamber.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 1 and additionally comprising an incrementally rotated impeller for dispensing charges of a predetermined quantity of adhesive granules into the chamber and means responsive to the level of adhesive in the vessel for controlling the operation of the impeller.

Claim 6

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the pins are connected to each other at the narrowest end of the passage to form a block.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 1 and additionally comprising means for passing granules of adhesive through the passage.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein the means for passing the adhesive granules through the passage is a piston.

Claim 9

Apparatus as in claim 6 and additionally comrising means responsive to the level of adhesive in the vessel for controlling the operation of the means for passing the adhesive granules through the passage.

Claim 10

Apparatus for dispensing heat softenable adhesive initially in granular form, comprising: a hopper for receiving granules of adhesive; a chamber having an opening in a central portion thereof connected to the hopper for receiving adhesive granules from the hopper, an incrementally rotated impeller in the hopper for dispensing charges of a predetermined quantity of adhesive granules from the hopper into the chamber, a plurality of conical pins each having a largest diameter end secured to one of two opposite end walls of the chamber for defining progressively narrowing passages, means for heating the pins, A piston in the central portion of the chamber and reciprocable toward first one end wall of the chamber and then the other for pressing the adhesive granules in the central portion of the chamber into the passages at one end of the chamber and then the other to heat and soften the adhesive, and outlets adjacent the end walls of the chamber for dispensing the heat softened adhesive from the chamber.

Claim 11

Apparatus for dispensing heat softenable adhesive initially in granular form, comprising: a hopper for receiving granules of adhesive; a chamber having an opening in a central portion thereof connected to the hopper for receiving adhesive granules from the hopper, an incrementally rotated impeller in the hopper for dispensing charges of a predetermined quantity of adhesive granules from the hopper into the chamber, a plurality of conical pins each having a largest diameter end secured to one of two opposite end walls of the chamber for defining progressively narrowing passages, means for heating the pins, A piston in the central portion of the chamber and reciprocable toward first one end wall of the chamber and then the other for pressing the adhesive granules in the central portion of the chamber into the passages at one end of the chamber and then the other to heat and soften the adhesive, and outlets adjacent the end walls of the chamber for dispensing the heat softened adhesive from the chamber.