Graco Minnesota Inc.

Benjamin J Paar

Bradley G Kahler

Bradley H Hines

Anthony J Kuschel

Michael E Bloom

James R Ebben

Shane A Norman

Joshua R Holmstadt

Brian W Koehn

Mark L Bauck

Paul W Scheierl

Jacob D Higgins

Chad G Igo

Glenn E Highland

David L Fehr

John C Holman

Brandon T Gustafson

Mike V Atkinson

Gregory D Sieckert

David J Lorden

Anna M Hegdahl

Mark S Emery

Andrew M Grunloh

Jin Tian

Anthony J Gargano

Marika M Bender

Igor V Radzyuk

Eric J Mjolhus

Walter L Franklin, Iii

Christopher J Stack

Benjamin R Stassen

Zaixing You

Li Hui Gao

Xueshui Wu

Brandon P Knez

Laura L Evanson

Gary T Losie

Alex A Doerr

Kyle J Treiber

A clamp for sanitary pumps includes a tensioning assembly mounted on a ring. The tensioning assembly includes an adjustment assembly that interfaces with first and second brackets disposed at first and second ends of the ring. The adjustment assembly includes a nut that interfaces with a rod at a threaded interface. A head is disposed at an end of the rod opposite the nut and interfaces with the second bracket. The nut and rod are coaxial and an orientation of a common adjustment axis can be changed by pivoting the adjustment assembly relative to the first bracket, to maintain concentricity between the nut and rod.

Sanitary clamp for diaphragm pump covers

An electrically operated displacement pump includes an electric motor having a stator and a rotor. The rotor is connected to the fluid displacement member to drive axial reciprocation of the fluid displacement member. A drive mechanism is disposed between and connected to each of the rotor and the fluid displacement member. The drive mechanism receives a rotational output from the rotor and provides a linear input to the fluid displacement member. A controller controls operation of the motor based on an operating state of the motor to control pumping by the displacement pump.

Electrically operated displacement pump control system and method

A fluid management system includes a fluid management controller and a fluid dispenser. The controller authorizes control of the one or more fluid management components over a wireless interface. A dispensing meter can be activated by an authentication device. The fluid meter includes a cartridge valve with a valve cartridge and a valve stem. The cartridge valve guides the valve stem and provides the only sealing surface for the dynamic seals and control seal disposed on the valve stem. The handheld meter dispenses through a nozzle, which includes an overmolded stem tip that generates a laminar fluid flow as the fluid exits the nozzle. The handheld fluid meter includes circuitry configured to invert the orientation of a visual output provided by a display of the handheld fluid meter to facilitate installation of the handheld fluid meter for use in an oil bar application.

Fluid management system and fluid dispenser

A displacement pump has multiple gas compression stages and serial gas flow through the compression stages. The gas is initially compressed in a first compression stage by a first fluid displacement member. The gas from the first compression stage flows to a second compression stage. The gas in the second compression stage is compressed by a second fluid displacement member and output from the pump.

Pump having multi-stage gas compression

An electrically operated displacement pump includes an electric motor having a stator and a rotor. The rotor is connected to the fluid displacement member to drive axial reciprocation of the fluid displacement member. A drive mechanism is disposed between and connected to each of the rotor and the fluid displacement member. The drive mechanism receives a rotational output from the rotor and provides a linear input to the fluid displacement member.

Electrically operated displacement pump assembly

A fluid management system includes an authentication device and a fluid dispensing meter, and the fluid dispensing meter includes a processor and a memory. The authentication device is configured to provide data to the processor. The processor is configured to recall information from the memory, to compare the information to the data received from the authenticator, and to control a trigger control mechanism between the activated state and the deactivated state based on the comparison.

Fluid dispensing meter authorization

A system for harvesting energy from a lubrication event includes a fluid pump, a fluid injector, an energy harvesting device, a wireless transmitter, and a controller unit. The fluid injector receives fluid from the fluid pump. The fluid injector is connected to the energy harvesting device, which is configured to produce electrical energy in response to a firing of the fluid injector. Electrical energy produced by the energy harvesting device powers the wireless transmitter, which is configured to transmit a wireless signal. The wireless signal indicates that the fluid injector fired. The wireless signal is received by the controller unit, which controls the fluid pump.

Lubrication injector with energy harvesting

An autofill shutoff valve includes a valve body mounted to a lubricant reservoir and secured to a fill tube extending into the reservoir. The autofill shutoff valve has a valve stem extending through the valve body and into the lubricant reservoir. The valve stem is actuated by a plate disposed within the reservoir from a first position, wherein lubricant flows from a lubricant inlet to a lubricant outlet through the valve body, to a second position, wherein the valve stem blocks the flow of lubricant through the valve body. The autofill shutoff valve provides lubricant directly to the reservoir, thereby eliminating external plumbing and the autofill shutoff valve also prevents overfill of the reservoir by cutting off the flow when the reservoir is full.

Autofill shutoff valve

A centerfill assembly for a lubricant reservoir includes a hollow tube for receiving lubricant from the top of the reservoir and loading the lubricant into the reservoir near the bottom of the reservoir. Loading the lubricant near the bottom of the reservoir introduces lubricant near where the stirring paddles mix the lubricant and near where the lubricant is loaded to the lubricant pump. Adding the lubricant near where the pumps load and near the stirring paddles helps to eliminate air pockets in the lubricant. In addition, having the centerfill rod minimizes exterior plumbing and allows for the mounting of valves on the fill line.

Centerfill of lubricant reservoir

A fluid management system includes an authentication device and a fluid dispensing meter, and the fluid dispensing meter includes a processor and a memory. The authentication device is configured to provide user-identification data to the processor. The processor is configured to recall approved user identities from the memory, to compare the approved user identities to the user-identification data received from the authenticator, and to control a trigger control mechanism between the activated state and the deactivated state based on the comparison of the user-identification data and the approved user identities.

Dispensing meter authorization

A fluid management controller includes a processor, a wireless interface, and a memory. The wireless interface is configured to communicate between the processor and one or more fluid management components. The processor is configured to authorize control of the one or more fluid management components over the wireless interface. The memory is encoded with instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to provide dispense authorizations to the one or more fluid management components and record fluid dispense information from the one or more fluid management components in the memory.

Fluid management controller

Cartridge valve

Growing community of inventors

Minneapolis, MN, United States of America

Benjamin J Paar