Graco Inc.

Wanner Engineering, Inc.

Graco Minnesota Inc.

Kenneth Eugene Lehrke

Frederick A Powers

Richard D Hembree

Martin P McCormick

Daniel J Kvinge

David M Pittman

Timothy L Sebion

John F Isais, Jr

Adam R Friedrich

Scott C Losey

Michelle Jean Miller

Paul W Gleason

Vicky J Peterson

Gary Dean Ingle, Sr

Jan E Pitzer

Scott Cameron Losey

Bruce A McFadden

Gerard L Lehman

A diaphragm pump which overcomes the problem of diaphragm failure due to overfill of the oil transfer chamber. An overfill preventive element in the form of a mechanical stop, a fully closed coil spring, or a valve system, or alternatives are provided.

Diaphragm pump with overfill limiter

A diaphragm pump which overcomes the problem of diaphragm failure due to overfill of the oil transfer chamber and the inability to self-prime. A notch is provided in the upper portion of the surface of the cylinder so that air can be forced back to the reservoir. In addition, the bias spring connected to the diaphragm and supported by the piston is made stiff with a spring constant that produces a bias pressure that can overcome abnormal suction pressures.

Diaphragm pump with a transfer chamber vent with a longitudinal notch on the piston cylinder

The invention provides a system and method for proportion metering multiple fluids together that are output from different pumps. The invention further provides a system and method for batch signal metering that provides feedback on the amount of fluid that has been dispensed. The invention has applications in numerous technologies, including metering together pest control fluids, such as those used for termite control; metering lawn care fluids such as herbicide and fertilizer; blending colors used in dyes, paints and the like; personal care products such as lotions; water treatment; and other technologies in which different fluids are pumped by separate pumps and thereafter mixed together downstream of the pumps prior to being dispensed.

Termite control system with multi-fluid proportion metering and batch signal metering

A mechanical proportioner is provided with two pump lowers which are connected together by a yolk underneath an air-operated reciprocating piston pump. The pumps are staggered axially so as to enable overlapping of certain portions thereof thereby enabling the center-to-center distance to be minimized. The mix manifold is constructed in a concentric fashion such that mixed material does not come into contact with the mix manifold until it enters the static mixer at the exit of the manifold which is an easily disposable and replaceable part. The purge solvent valves on the mix manifold are each provided with an extension of their respective handles. If either purge valve is in its open position, a separate interlock handle operating the A and B side valves at the manifold inlet is prevented from opening. Similarly, if the interlock handle operating the A and B side valves is open, the purge valves cannot be opened.

Mechanical proportioner

A lawn care applicator system which is used on a vehicle having a vehicle electrical power system. The lawn care applicator system is specifically designed to be easy to use by an operator and to minimize electrical current usage, thereby allowing use of the applicator system with standard vehicle electrical power systems. The applicator system includes an applicator module that is removably mountable on the vehicle. The applicator module preferably includes a housing, at least one liquid supply tank disposed in the housing, and a liquid dispensing system disposed in the housing and connected to the liquid supply tank for dispensing liquid from the liquid supply tank and onto a lawn. A control system is electrically connected to the applicator module for providing power to, and controlling the operation of, the applicator module. The control system is adapted to be connected to the vehicle electrical power system to provide electrical power for the applicator system. Since power is provided by the vehicle electrical power system, the use of separate gas engines, electrical generators, and PTO drives to power the applicator module are eliminated.

Lawn applicator module and control system therefor

A relatively inexpensive and easy to operate plural component dispensing apparatus is made up of one or more double sided pumps, such as an air-operated double diaphragm pump. The manifolding on the pumps is divided so that each side of the pump pumps one of the components of the plural component material with an integrator (18) attached to the outputs of the two sides to bring the out-of-phase output of the pump into phase. Diaphragm type isolation valves (116) are optionally provided on the output of each side of the pump in order to prevent back flow of mixed material. In the event that ratios other than 1:1 are required, more than one such pump may be used together in order to result in a variety of ratios.

Diaphragm pump plural component dispensing system with integrator

A rotary agitator with a concentric suction tube suspended from a housing which has a seal connection for attachment to a drum or other large container. The suction tube is fixedly mounted within the housing and includes a flow path extending from a bottom end below the rotary agitator and to a top end above the rotary agitator. A drive motor is affixed to the housing and is coupled to the rotary agitator by a belt drive and pulley attachment to the exterior walls of the agitator tube; the lower portion of the agitator tube having a helical screw for immersion into the liquid contained in the drum or container.

Rotary agitator with concentric suction tube

A liquid integrator apparatus for insertion into a liquid flow line, for blending together leading and lagging incremental liquid flow volumes, the apparatus including a housing attachable to the liquid flow line, a cylindrical insert in the housing, the insert having a helical groove about its outer surface. The helical groove is substantially deeper than it is wide, and has a hydraulic radius of less than about 0.04, and the helical groove is sufficiently long so as to contain a liquid volume approximately twice the volume of incremental liquid for which blending is desired.

Fluid integrator

A multiple piston cylinder reciprocating pump is provided with a cam drive such that the sum of the velocities during the pumping strokes of all of the cylinders is generally constant. The leak free design is provided by utilizing a diaphragm attached to the piston between the main seal assembly and the cam. A flow through intake design is provided which flows incoming material around the piston between the diaphragm and the main seal to prevent the build-up and hardening of material on the piston and in the seal area. The intake and exhaust passages are arranged such that air pockets cannot be formed and any air bubbles which find their way into the pump will rise upwardly out of the pump without restriction.

Pulseless piston pump

A silencing system is provided for an air-operated pump which also eliminates icing of the pump at higher cycle rates and humidities. The exhaust from the air motor powers an air flow inducer to induce a flow of relatively warm ambient air. The induced flow of ambient air is drawn across cold components of the air motor, and the mixed (ambient and exhaust air) exit stream routed away from the air motor. The relatively warm mixed air exhaust flow also allows noise reduction by conventional acoustical techniques without suffering performance degradation due to icing.

Non-icing quiet air-operated pump

A system for electrically heating a hose of the type used to transport one or more fluid components from a remote location to a point of application includes at least one fluid conduit and an electric heating element enclosed within a thermal insulation blanket to form a hose construction having predetermined heat transfer characteristics. A remotely positioned module enclosed in a thermal insulation blanket and containing an electric heater and temperature sensor provides a hose simulator having heat transfer characteristics substantially identical to that of the hose. An electrical power drive circuit connected in parallel to the hose heating element and the module heater is controlled by a temperature control circuit responsive to the temperature sensed within the module by the temperature sensor. The temperature control circuit is further responsive to an ambient temperature sensor physically separated from the hose and module.

Electrically heated hose employing a hose simulator for temperature

A fluid heater, particularly for heating paints, lacquers, varnishes and other spray coating material, includes an elongated hollow tube adapted to be inserted into a fluid flow line for fluid flow through the tube. An electric resistance heater is disposed within the tube and is surrounded by a helical coil member to create a helical fluid flow path through the tube. A temperature control system for regulating the operation of the heater is provided and includes a temperature sensing probe comprising a temperature responsive resistance element enclosed in a conical housing extending into the helical fluid flow path and having its apex contacting the heater and its conical surface area increasing in a direction away from the heater and extending across the cross section of the fluid flow path. The temperature control system is responsive to both the temperature and the rate of change of temperature of the probe and includes an ambient temperature compensation circuit for monitoring the ambient temperature and compensating temperature control circuits for regulating heater temperature as a function of ambient temperature as well as a function of static and dynamic fluid flow conditions in the helical flow path sensed by the probe.

Electric fluid heater temperature control system providing precise

Apparatus is disclosed for filling a pneumatic tire with fluid which solidifies on curing, including a fluid pumping connection to the tire air valve, a tire penetrating connection having an air relief passage to permit trapped air to escape from the tire, and a sensing and safety circuit for stopping the filling operation whenever the tire becomes filled with fluid or whenever the air escape mechanism ceases operating.

Growing community of inventors

Maple Grove, MN, United States of America

Kenneth Eugene Lehrke