Marlen Research Corporation

Steven M Sheeley

Wendell E Dennis

Kevin A Washam

Stephen Brown

Lewis E Alley

Marvin D Cain

An improved vacuumizer valve assembly is provided which permits precise, infinite valve adjustment from outside of a vacuumizer apparatus, thus eliminating the need to open the vacuumizer chamber during adjustment procedures. The valve assembly of the invention preferably includes a piston and cylinder assembly operated valve member, with a threadably shiftable adjustment stop coupled with the piston and cylinder assembly. During adjustment procedures, the stop is shifted as necessary to thereby alter the stroke length of the valve assembly and thereby the maximum valve clearance achieved when the valve is opened.

Vacuumizer valve assembly

A volumetric apparatus for portioning fluidic material into fractions of predetermined size includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet, and a piston movable in the housing and defining a product portioning chamber and a compression chamber. Fluidic material is fed into the product portioning chamber through the inlet under pressure when the inlet is open and the outlet is closed, the pressurized fluidic material forcing the piston from a first position by a preset distance such that a predetermined volume of the fluidic material is fed into the product portioning chamber. Thereafter, the piston is driven from the second position to the first position when the inlet is closed and the outlet is open so as to deliver the portioned fluidic material from the product portioning chamber through the outlet. A storage chamber is provided which is in communication with the compression chamber so the pneumatic fluid is transferred from the compression chamber to the storage chamber under pressure when the piston is forced from the first position to the second position and is transferred from the storage chamber to the compression chamber under pressure when the inlet is closed and the outlet is open, thus driving the piston to the first position as the fluid is transferred under pressure to the compression chamber. The housing may be lifted from the valve to facilitate cleaning of the valve and housing when the portioning operation is complete, and a method of carrying out the portioning operation is also disclosed.

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Overland Park, KS, United States of America

Steven M Sheeley