Presses – Methods – With separation from material of liquid expressed
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-16
2001-10-30
Vo, Peter (Department: 3721)
Presses
Methods
With separation from material of liquid expressed
C100S039000, C100S09800R, C100S127000, C100S245000, C100S902000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308618
ABSTRACT:
SCOPE OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to waste compactors and more particularly to waste compactors for handling both containers and their contents.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In many industries, products in containers must be disposed, preferably with the product to be recovered separately from the containers, as for separate reuse or disposal. For example, in the food industry, canned products which is old stock, of questionable quality or stale dated such as soup paste, stew, dog food and the like may be desired to be separated from their cans for disposal of the cans and reuse or separate recycling of the food products. The metal cans may be recycled with other metal. The food may be reused as human or animal food or recycled as biodegradable refuse.
As another example, in the paint industry, containers of paint may be desired to be discarded with the paint separated from the containers. However, difficulties rise in separating the paint from the containers themselves, and the difficulties are particularly acute when the paint containers are full.
Problems particularly exist in the disposal and recycling of pressurized containers, notably aerosol containers of products, such as, paint, hairspray, deodorants, insecticides, butane, natural gas, propane and the like. With such pressurized containers, explosion hazards arise not only by reason of the container being pressurized but also due to the flammable nature of their contents including not only the products but also various propellents which are used. The explosion hazards are increased when the containers are full. Previously known systems for compacting containers have the disadvantage of being unable to handle pressurized containers, such as, aerosol containers, particularly when the containers are substantially filled with their products.
Previously known systems for compacting containers have the disadvantage of being unable to handle the substantial quantities of product which are in full containers in a manner which permits the product to be separated from the containers themselves.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To at least partially overcome these disadvantages of previously known devices, the present invention provides an apparatus for compacting containers and separating flowable contents of the containers from the containers themselves, preferably in an enclosed environment. To accommodate hazardous contents, the apparatus may be configured to be explosion proof. The apparatus provides for compaction of the containers under conditions which rupture the containers, compact the containers in a compaction chamber and extrude flowable contents from the containers and out of the compaction chamber.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for compacting containers and recovering separately from the containers flowable materials from the containers. It is a further object to compact aerosol containers and recover separately the flowable materials including gases from the aerosol containers.
Another object is to provide a novel compactor which provides for compacting of containers and for controlled recovery and containment of flowable materials from the compacted containers by extrusion of the flowable materials.
Another object is to provide an apparatus and method for compacting aerosol containers and for the safe recovery of their contents.
The present invention provides a compactor for containers containing flowable materials in which the containers are compacted in a compaction chamber and flowable materials from the containers are recovered in a controlled manner as by extrusion from the compaction chamber. The compactor advantageously includes a shearing mechanism to assist in controlling the feeding of containers into the compaction chamber and/or the release of the container's contents. The containers are preferably compacted under sufficiently high pressures to rupture the containers and force any flowable materials out of the containers. A collection manifold is preferably provided in sealed communication with the compaction chamber to receive flowable materials extruded from the compaction chamber. A filter or screening mechanism capable of withstanding the pressures generated in the compactor is provided to permit flowable materials to be extruded out of the compacting chamber, yet maintaining the ruptured containers in the compaction chamber. The collection manifold allows flowable materials to be recovered in a sealed, enclosed manner for seal delivery as to gas/liquid and/or solid separators for fractioning of the flowable materials into different fractions for storage.
The present invention provides a method of operating a compactor so as to compact containers and extrude from the containers flowable materials from the containers. The method may be carried out so as to conveniently handle flowable materials from substantially filled containers as by extruding the flowable materials from the containers within an enclosed collection manifold. The method provides for separation of the containers and the flowable materials from the containers under enclosed conditions so as to permit recovery of both flowable gas and liquid/solid materials from the containers. The method may be carried out in manners so as to reduce the loss of gases to the atmosphere and to reduce the risk of fire and explosion.
In one aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for compacting containers containing flowable material, the apparatus comprising:
a housing having containment walls defining an elongate guideway therein having a forward end and a rear end,
the guideway having a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape throughout its length,
a ram member reciprocally movable longitudinally in the guideway between a forward extended position proximate the forward end and a rear extended position proximate the rear end,
the ram member having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to that of the guideway such that the ram member substantially seals the guideway against passage of flowable material in the guideway rearwardly pass the ram member,
a feed opening through the containment walls into the guideway at a location immediate the forward end and the rear end such that when the ram member in the rear retracted position the feed opening is forward of the ram member, the feed opening permitting containers to be fed into the guideway,
a shear member comprising a fixed shear member located in the guideway proximate a forwardmost edge of the feed opening, the fixed shear member opposed to a forward end of the ram member whereby on movement of the ram member forwardly from the rear retracted position, the forwardmost edge of the ram member passes adjacent the fixed shear member to shear any containers which extend from the guideway out of the feed opening,
the guideway forward of the feed opening comprising a compaction chamber,
the containment walls about the compaction chamber having an array of small size openings which permit flowable materials from the containers to pass therethrough out of the compaction chamber yet substantially permit containers or sheared parts of containers to pass therethrough,
wherein with the ram member located within the compaction chamber, the compaction chamber forward of the ram member is substantially sealably enclosed but for the openings,
the openings providing communication from the compaction chamber into an enclosed collection manifold outside the compaction chamber, the collection manifold in communication with an outlet conduit,
the ram member on movement forwardly in the compaction chamber adapted to compact containers therein and extrude flowable materials from the containers out of the compaction chamber via the openings into the collection chamber and out of the collection chamber via the outlet conduit.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3580166 (1971-05-01), Longo
patent: 3948163 (1976-04-01), Ligh
patent: 4036359 (1977-07-01), Strickland, Jr.
patent: 4417510 (1983-11-01), Sharp
patent: 4459906 (1984-07-01), Cound et al.
patent: 4691628 (1987-0
David Johnston
Richard Wagner
Huynh Louis K.
Riches McKenzie & Herbert LLP
Solite Corporation
Vo Peter
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