Standex International Corporation

Arbel Agencies Limited

Procon Us, Inc.

Robert R Kimberlin

Robert E Harvey, Iii

William M Larson

Jie Jiang

Avihay Cohen

William Rawnsley, Jr

Brian Waters

Mary E Allocco

Jie Jang

A molded liner member for a fluid pump is disclosed. The liner member includes a generally annular ring, having an inner surface, an outer surface which is substantially concentric with the inner surface, and first and second end surfaces. The annular ring is molded from fiber reinforced polymer, and a majority of the fiber reinforcements in the polymer are oriented substantially parallel to an axis passing through the center of the annular ring. A method for making the liner member is also disclosed.

Pump liner with improved fiber orientation

A post-mix beverage dispenser system with removable pumps is disclosed. The system includes a pump enclosure for receiving a plurality of beverage syrup pumps. Each beverage syrup pump may be easily removed from the enclosure and replaced in a tool-less manner. A sensor and control system for the plurality or removable pumps is also disclosed.

Beverage dispenser system with controlled pump system

Beverage dispenser system with removable pumps

A pressure and thermostatic relief valve for a pump housing is disclosed. The relief valve includes both a pressure relief valve mechanism and a thermostatic or temperature relief valve mechanism. A pump housing incorporating the pressure and thermostatic relief valve is also disclosed.

Pump with thermostatic relief valve

A quick disconnect pump assembly is disclosed. The pump assembly includes a housing with inlet and outlet ports, an elongate slot, and a retainer channel. A sliding lock moves within the slot between a locked position and an unlocked position. The sliding lock includes inlet and outlet port openings and a sliding lock retainer opening. The inlet and outlet port openings each engage and retain a removable fitting when the sliding lock is in the locked position, but do not engage or retain the removable fitting when the sliding lock is in the unlocked position. The pump assembly also includes a sliding lock retainer which passes through the sliding lock retainer opening to prevent removal of the sliding lock from the elongate slot. A fluid pump and a beverage dispenser utilizing the pump assembly are also disclosed.

Quick disconnect pump

A beverage syrup pump system is disclosed including a pump housing having an internal pumping chamber, a pump motor, and a pumping mechanism driven by the motor within the pumping chamber. The pumping mechanism receives a syrup fluid at a first pressure and discharges the fluid at a second pressure which is greater than the first pressure. A pressure transducer adjacent a sensor port and in contact with a quantity of the fluid at the second pressure generates an electrical signal based upon the second pressure. A programmable micro controller receives the electrical signal from the pressure transducer and is capable of starting and stopping the pump motor. The micro controller will immediately stop the pump motor if the second pressure exceeds a predetermined maximum pressure level. The micro controller will also stop the pump motor if the second pressure falls and remains below a predetermined minimum pressure level for a predetermined first time interval.

Syrup pump and controller

A method of making a pump housing that is net-molded and immediately assumes its final shape and design specification without requiring more than de minimis secondary machining processes. The method utilizes molds and cores configured such that none of the fluid ports of the housing produced using the molds and cores have any intersecting geometry. The net-molded pump housing may also include a cross-tube insert providing flow communication between a fluid inlet port and a pressure relief port.

Plastic pump housing and manufacture thereof

The present disclosure provides a fluid pump having a pump motor, a pump drive shaft and a vane pump assembly. The pump assembly includes a pump housing having fluid inlet and outlet ports. The pump assembly also includes a distal bearing member having first and second sides and a second side, a plurality of inlet orifices, and a cavity formed in the second side. A first cam ring, having an elliptical interior opening, is disposed within the pump housing adjacent the distal bearing member. A rotor is disposed within the opening in the first cam ring. This rotor has first and second sides, a cavity in the first side, and a plurality of radial slots for sliding vanes. The vane pump assembly also includes a second cam ring, having an elliptical shape, disposed in the cavities formed in the distal bearing member second side and the rotor first side. In addition, the vane pump assembly includes a proximate bearing member disposed within the pump housing adjacent the first cam ring and having a plurality of outlet orifices.

Sliding vane pump with internal cam ring

The present disclosure provides a fluid pump having a pump motor, a pump drive shaft, and a vane pump assembly. The vane pump assembly includes a pump housing with a fluid inlet port in a distal portion of the housing and a fluid outlet port in a proximate portion. A first bearing member, having a plurality of inlet orifices in flow communication with the fluid inlet port, is disposed within the housing distal portion. A cam ring is adjacent the first bearing member. A rotor, which is mounted on the pump drive shaft, is disposed within an opening in the cam ring. This rotor includes a plurality of radial slots and vanes slidably received within the slots. A second bearing member, having a plurality of outlet orifices in flow communication with the fluid outlet port, is disposed within the housing proximate portion adjacent the cam ring. An end plate is also mounted within the distal portion of the pump housing. Rotation of the rotor by the drive shaft causes fluids from the fluid inlet port to be drawn through the plurality of inlet orifices at an initial fluid pressure. The fluids are then directed along a plurality of fluid flow paths disposed between an inner surface of the cam ring and an outer surface of the rotor, and then ejected through the plurality of outlet orifices to the fluid outlet port at a second fluid pressure which is greater than the initial fluid pressure.

Sliding vane pump

A fluid pump includes a pump head having an inlet for receiving fluid at a first pressure and an outlet for outputting fluid at a second pressure greater than the first pressure. Pressurized fluid is directed through a first passage to the outlet without the pressurized fluid leaving the pump head prior to reaching the outlet. A second passage directs pressurized fluid to a fluid circulation path which is at least partially external to the pump head with the fluid circulation path terminating adjacent the outlet. Pressurized fluid passing through the first and second passages is directed to the outlet without being re-pressurized by the pump head. The first and second passages are in opposed relation to one another to provide balancing of thrust produced by the flow of pressurized fluid through the passages. An electric motor drives the pump head. The fluid circulation path may include portions of the electric motor.

Fluid circulation path for motor pump

A pump head for a fluid pump driven by a motor includes an inlet for receiving fluid at a first pressure and an outlet for outputting fluid at a second pressure greater than the first pressure. A relief valve cavity formed in the pump head housing includes a first portion in fluid communication with the inlet and a second portion in fluid communication with the outlet. A relief valve is disposed in the relief valve cavity with no portion of the relief positioned to block or otherwise impede the normal flow of fluid through the inlet or outlet. The relief valve is bi-directional and configured to operate in two modes including: (1) a low pressure relief mode where fluid flows from the inlet to the outlet when fluid pressure at the inlet exceeds fluid pressure at the outlet by a first threshold amount; and (2) a high pressure relief mode where fluid flows from the outlet to the inlet when fluid pressure at the outlet exceeds fluid pressure at the inlet by a second threshold amount greater than the first threshold amount. The relief valve cavity is specially configured to provide a barrier preventing an element of the relief valve from damaging the pump head in the event the relief valve element fails.

Fluid pump relief valve

A motor pump is provided in which the motor rotor is optimally force balanced for enhanced operation. The motor pump includes a pump head for pressurizing a fluid, and an electric motor drives the pump head. High pressure fluid is circulated through the motor air gap. The shaft of the motor rotor is axially movable with respect to the pump head such that the motor rotor is effectively floated in high pressure fluid as the fluid flows through the motor.

Motor pump with balanced motor rotor

A fluid impermeable barrier is provided to protect the rotor of an electric motor. The barrier includes a body portion with a relatively large opening at one end to receive the rotor laminations and a smaller opening at the other end to receive one end of the rotor shaft. With the body portion positioned about the laminations, a cap with an outer perimeter and central opening is slid down the other end of the rotor shaft to close the large opening in the body portion. The assembly is completed by sealingly attaching the outer perimeter of the cap to the large opening in the body portion and sealingly attaching the smaller openings in the cap and body portion to respective portions of the rotor shaft. Thus, the fluid impermeable rotor barrier includes no more than two parts that are assembled onto the rotor using no more than three areas of attachment.

Fluid barrier for motor rotor

An apparatus for detecting the presence of an overheat condition in a fluid pump includes a pump head for receiving a fluid at a first pressure and outputting the fluid at a second pressure that is greater than the first pressure. A motor is positioned adjacent the pump head to drive the pump head to pressurize the fluid. A single overheat sensor senses an overheat condition in the pump head and an overheat condition in the motor. When a threshold temperature is sensed by the overheat sensor, a switch is activated to prevent operation of the motor. In one embodiment, the overheat sensor and switch are integral and may, for example, take the form of a bi-metal switch formed in the stator windings of the motor. In alternate embodiments, the overheat sensor and switch are separate.

Overheat protection for fluid pump

An apparatus for protecting a fluid pump motor includes an electric motor for driving a pump head to pressurize a fluid. A liner is positioned in the motor air gap to prevent pressurized fluid from contacting one or more magnetic field producing elements of the stator. The liner includes a thin wall to minimize the air gap distance. The liner wall is made thin enough that, under loading of the pressurized fluid, the liner wall deforms and bears against one or more of the field producing elements of the stator for structural support. The liner is preferably fabricated as a single metal part using a deep drawing process that results in a can having opposed open and closed ends with a substantially uniform cross-section between the open and closed ends of the can.

Growing community of inventors

Murfreesboro, TN, United States of America

Robert R Kimberlin