Agitating – Stirrer within stationary mixing chamber – Mounted in removable mixing chamber closure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-12
2001-08-28
Soohoo, Tony G. (Department: 1723)
Agitating
Stirrer within stationary mixing chamber
Mounted in removable mixing chamber closure
C366S349000, C366S605000, C220S495010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280077
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the mixing of fluid components and is directed more particularly to a liner for use with mixing containers, and an assembly and method for mixing fluid components in a liner-equipped mixing container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The mixing of paint in facilities wherein paint is used on a large scale, as, for example, in automotive production plants, often is conducted in metal drums, e.g., common 55 gallon drums, equipped with a short upstanding post fixed to the center of the interior bottom surface.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, it will be seen that a typical prior art mixing assembly includes a 55 gallon cylindrical container
10
having a closed end wall
12
and an open end
14
. A post
16
is affixed to and upstands about 2¼ inches, or so, from the interior surface
18
of the closed end wall
12
.
The assembly further includes a mixing shaft
20
to which there are fixed mixing elements, such as blades
22
. Mixing shaft
20
is hollow, or else it has a cavity
24
at its bottom end so as to permit the mixing shaft to be rotatably mounted on post
16
. The shaft
20
extends through a central opening
26
in a cover member
28
.
In operation, a fluid, typically comprising two or more paint components, is introduced into the container
10
to a suitable level. The mixing shaft
20
, with cover member
28
thereon, is then placed in the container
10
. The bottom end
24
of the shaft
20
is positioned so that post
16
is received by the shaft bottom end. Cover member
28
is secured to the top of the container
10
to close the otherwise open end
14
thereof. This results in the shaft
20
being generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of container
10
. The blades
22
are rigid and extend close to, and are spaced from, the interior surface of side wall
15
of container
10
.
The top end
32
of the mixing shaft
20
is then engaged by an electrically-powered turning device (not shown) which turns the shaft
20
, thereby moving the blades
22
through the fluid. Alternatively, the upper end of the shaft can be coupled to a manually-operated turning mechanism (also not shown).
Upon completion of the mixing operation, cover member
28
and mixing shaft
20
with blades
22
are removed from the container
10
. The mixed paint is then transferred to other containers or used directly from the container
10
. In either case, the container
10
is not suitable for further like use and hence must be discarded. Disposal of the 55 gallon metal containers is objectionable because (1) the modified 55 gallon drums are expensive (typically costing more than $20 per drum) and (2) the drums are relatively large and disposing of thousands of drums involves a large disposal volume.
In an effort to render the mixing containers reusable, there has been provided a liner
40
(
FIG. 2
) for use with the mixing container
10
(FIG.
3
). The liner
40
comprises a sleeve
42
closed off by a bottom end wall
44
thereof and having an open top end
46
. Liner
40
is of a configuration generally complementary to the interior configuration of container
10
. Sleeve
42
is of a flexible fluid-impervious material, preferably polyethylene or another flexible fluid-impervious plastic material.
A fitment
50
is fixed to an interior surface
48
of the bottom end wall
44
of the sleeve
42
and is open at a bottom end
52
(
FIG. 2
) thereof, and closed at a top end thereof. The fitment
50
is of an elongated configuration generally complementary to the configuration of the post
16
. The bottom end wall
44
of the sleeve
42
defines a hole
56
(
FIG. 2
) in alignment with the fitment open bottom end
52
. The fitment
50
may be provided with a flange portion
58
by which the fitment
50
is affixed to the interior surface
48
of the sleeve bottom end
44
, as by adhesive, ultra-sonic welding, heat sealing, or other bonding process.
Fitment
50
preferably is of a plastic material or a high density elastomer. The fitment
50
is relatively stiff so as to resist twisting in response to rotation of shaft
20
.
In operation, the liner
40
is inserted into the container
10
, with the fitment
50
fitting over and receiving post
16
through the hole
56
and open bottom end
52
of the fitment
50
. The fluid (e.g. paint components) is then poured into the open end of liner
40
, causing the liner
40
to be pressed against the side and bottom end walls
15
,
12
of the container
10
. The mixing shaft
20
is inserted into the container
10
over the fitment
50
and post
16
. The cover
28
is pressed down over the open end
46
of sleeve
42
and a complementary rim
49
of container
10
to lock the cover
28
to the upper end
14
of the container
10
, to close the assembly (FIG.
3
). The mixing shaft
20
is then rotated by a rotative apparatus engaged with the shaft top end
32
.
Upon completion of the mixing operation, cover
28
and mixing shaft
20
are removed from the container
10
, and the mixed paint (or other fluid) is removed form the container. Upon emptying the container, the liner
40
is stripped from the container, the interior of which has been protected by the removed liner from contact with the fluid.
The liner may be made with a relatively small wall thickness. Since it also is flexible, the liner
40
may be folded into a relatively small volume of space for disposal purposes, while the container may be re-used. The cost of liner
40
is much less than the cost of the container
10
, and the space required for disposal of the liner
40
is very much less than the space required for disposal of the container
10
.
The above-described liner and associated assembly and method is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,878, issued Mar. 17, 1998 to Joseph J. Sullivan, Jr. While the liner has successfully rendered mixing drums, even paint mixing drums, reusable, providing for the post
16
contributes substantially to the cost of the drum and, once done, limits the market for the drum to essentially purchasers having need for mixing containers. That is, the expense added to the manufacture of the drum tends to remove the drum from the general market and confine sales of the drum to a specialty niche. From the perspective of the users of mixing drums, the drums with posts mounted therein are substantially more expensive than the standard drum.
There is thus a need for a mixing assembly wherein the mixing container is an ordinary unmodified drum, and the cost of a mixing enabler is less expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a plastic liner which may be inserted into a mixing container prior to a fluid mixing operation, which liner constitutes a barrier between the container and the fluid components therein, and which liner is provided with a protrusion thereon on which a mixer shaft may be mounted.
A further and more specific object is to provide a liner as set forth immediately above for use with a paint mixing container.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an assembly for mixing fluid components, wherein a liner constitutes a barrier between the container and the fluid therein and serves to support a mixing device in the container.
A still further object is to provide a method for mixing fluid components in a container wherein a liner constitutes a barrier between the container and the fluid therein, and further provides support for a mixing device in the container.
With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, a feature of the present invention is the provision of a liner for use in a mixing container, the container being adapted to receive a mixing shaft having an opening in its distal end and having mixing members mounted thereon for mixing materials disposed in the container. The liner comprises a tubular sleeve substantially closed at a first end thereof by an end wall and open at a second end thereof, and an elongated shaft-retaining member in the form of a substantially r
CDF Corporation
Pandiscio & Pandiscio
Soohoo Tony G.
LandOfFree
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