U.S. patent number 3,880,408 [Application Number 05/433,591] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-29 for device for mixing of paints and toners.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Winter Osakeyhtio. Invention is credited to Pentti Karjalainen.
United States Patent |
3,880,408 |
Karjalainen |
April 29, 1975 |
Device for mixing of paints and toners
Abstract
A device for mixing cans of different sizes for paints, said
device comprising a pedestal and a frame rotatably mounted on said
frame around a first axis. The frame is supporting a disc for a can
to be mixed rotatably around a second axis perpendicular to said
first axis. The device is provided with driving means for rotating
said frame and said disc around said axis. A transmission means is
coupled to rotate said disc selectively with at least two different
speeds, a lower speed for a larger can and a higher speed for a
smaller can.
Inventors: |
Karjalainen; Pentti (Tampere,
SF) |
Assignee: |
Winter Osakeyhtio (Tampere,
SF)
|
Family
ID: |
8507190 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/433,591 |
Filed: |
January 15, 1974 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
Current U.S.
Class: |
366/217 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B01F
9/0001 (20130101); B01F 15/00753 (20130101); B01F
2009/0072 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B01F
15/00 (20060101); B01F 9/00 (20060101); B01f
009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;259/72,81R,81A,54,57,29,30,12,14 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Jenkins; Robert W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ladas, Parry, Von Gehr, Goldsmith
& Deschamps
Claims
What I claim is:
1. An improved device for mixing cans of different sizes for
paints, in particular paints and toners, which device comprises a
pedestal, a frame mounted on said pedestal to rotate around a first
axis, a first rotary drive element fastened to said frame to bring
about rotation thereof, a disc supported by said frame for
fastening a can of paint to said frame, said disc being mounted to
rotate around a second axis extending transversely with respect to
said first axis, a second rotary drive element fastened to said
pedestal coaxially with said first rotary drive element, power
means connected to said first rotary drive element to bring about
rotation thereof, and driving means connecting said second rotary
drive element to said disc to bring about rotation of said disc
upon rotation of said first rotary drive element, the improvement
consisting in that said disc is axially displaceably supported by
said frame, and in that transmission means are coupled between said
disc and said driving means, said transmission means being
effective to change the number of revolutions of said disc around
said second axis when said disc is displaced axially, so that when
said disc is at a position corresponding to the largest paint can
size, the number of revolutions is lower than when said disc is in
a position corresponding to a smaller paint can size.
2. A mixing device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission
means comprise a plurality of coaxial rotary drive elements of
different respective sizes rotatably mounted to a rotable support,
each rotary drive element of said plurality being coupled to said
driving means and being selectively coupled in driving engagement
with said disc while each other rotary drive element of said
plurality is disconnected from engagement with said disc.
3. A mixing device according to claim 2, wherein said driving means
comprise a belt and said second rotary drive element and said
plurality of rotary drive elements comprise respective pulleys, the
belt being trained around said pulleys and around an idler pulley
mounted to said frame.
4. A mixing device as claimed in claim 2, comprising peg and hole
means coupling said disc to one of said plurality of rotary drive
elements.
5. A mixing device according to claim 2, wherein said disc is
provided with a tubular shaft and a locking lever provided with a
spring is pivotably mounted inside said shaft, said lever pivoting
to a coupling position when the shaft is axially displaced to a
first position, thus locking one rotary drive element of said
plurality in engagement with said shaft, while engagement between
each other rotary drive element of said plurality and said disc is
disconnected, and pivoting to a releasing position when the shaft
is axially displaced to a second position, thus disconnecting said
one rotary drive element from engagement with said shaft, while
engagement between another rotary drive element of said plurality
and said disc is established owing to the axial displacement of
said shaft.
Description
The subject of the present invention is a device for mixing cans of
different sizes for paint in particular paints and toners, which
device comprises a pedestal a frame mounted on said pedestal
rotatably around a first axis, a first pulley or equivalent
fastened to said frame for rotation thereof, a disc supported by
said frame for fastening a can of paint to said frame, said disc
being rotatably mounted around a second axis extending transversely
with respect to said first axis, a second pulley or equivalent
fastened to said pedestal coaxially with said first pulley and
power means connected to said first pulley for rotation thereof,
said second pulley being connected to said disc by driving means
for rotation of said disc upon rotation of said first pulley.
For mixing paints and their toners, a method and equipment are
previously known in which the mixing can is vibrated to and fro. In
retail stores for paints, in which the paints sold are mixed in
accordance with the customer's choice out of basic tones and
various toners, devices are in use to which the paint can is
fastened after addition of the toners and which vibrate the paint
can to and fro. In these devices it is possible to detach the paint
can during mixing, to turn it upside down and to repeat the mixing
in order that the mixing should take place uniformly. A drawback
with these known devices is the vibration, which causes disturbing
noise in the air of the space of location of the device and,
moreover, the vibration is transmitted along the building skeleton
as a disturbing noise into the surrounding rooms. Another drawback
is the length of the mixing period, which is about 3 to 5 min. with
the above mixing device for paints. Another drawback is that
vibrating of the mixing can to and fro causes high strains on the
can, and when using known devices, ruptures of the paint can have
taken place when the seams of the cans have been broken. Even
though high accelerations of the mixing can have been used in the
vibrator devices, perfectly satisfactory mixing results have not
been obtained in all cases.
From the German patent publication No. 1,080,072, a mixing device
is previously known by means of which the mixing can is rotated at
the same time around two axis which are perpendicular to each
other. Said patent publication contains no mentioning of mixing of
paints and their toners. To conclude from the embodiments presented
in the patent publication, the device is intended to be a
laboratory appliance, and as such it is not suitable for mixing
paints and their toners.
A mixing method is also earlier known according to which a mixing
container, such as paint can, having a substantially cylindrical or
conical jacket, is rotated around the center axis of its jacket at
an angular speed that is at least three, preferably four times as
high as the angular speed of the rotation taking place around a
second transverse axis, the number of revolutions of the rotation
around the latter axis being at least 120 rpm, preferably 160 to
180 rpm. In said earlier known method, the purpose has been that
all sizes of paint cans (0.25 litres to 10 litres) are during
mixing rotated with the same number of revolutions. The consequence
from this has been that the power of the motor operating the device
has to be dimensioned in accordance with the largest size (10
litres) of paint can and, therefore, as relatively high power. In
tests carried out it has been noticed that, for a satisfactory
mixing result within a desired short, preferably constant, mixing
duration, larger can sizes or the largest can size (10 litres)
permit the use of lower speeds of rotation than do the smaller can
sizes. This observation has been one of the starting points of the
present invention.
A purpose of the present invention is to produce a mixing device of
simple construction and use and reliable operation, in which motor
powers smaller than before are sufficient and which causes strains
lower than before on the mixing container so that earlier obvious
risk of rupture of the largest can size should not appear. This
purpose is obtained by means of a device which is characterized by
transmission means coupled between said disc and said driving
means, said disc being axially displaceably supported by said
frame, said transmission means changing the number of revolutions
of said disc around said second axis when said disc is displaced
axially, so that when said disc is at a position corresponding to
the largest paint can size, the number of revolutions is lower than
when said disc is in a position corresponding to a smaller paint
can size.
Below, the invention will be described in detail with reference to
an embodiment of the invention, shown in the figures of the
drawing, to which embodiment the invention is by no means
restricted.
FIG. 1 shows a mixing device as a partial cross-section as viewed
from the side and with the largest paint can size being fastened to
the device,
FIG. 2 shows the same as a front view,
FIG. 3 shows an axial section of the transmission system arranged
in connection with the rotation disc for paint can in the position
corresponding to the largest paint can size, and
FIG. 4 shows the same transmission system as FIG. 3 in a position
corresponding to a smaller paint can size.
The equipment shown in the drawings substantially comprises a
support pedestal 1 and a frame 2 rotably mounted thereon. The
pedestal 1 comprises a horizontal part 3, which supports an
electric motor 4, and a vertical part 5. At the top of part 5 of
the pedestal, a vertically positioned disc 6, shaped as a pulley,
has been fastened rigidly, and to this disc a horizontal bearing
bushing 7 has been fastened centrally. In the bearing bushing 7, by
means of bearings 8, a shaft 9 has been mounted rotably, which
shaft has been rigidly and centrally fastened to a vertically
positioned support disc 10, shaped as a pulley and belonging to the
frame 2. The support disc by means of a transversal beam 10a
supports a bearing housing 11, whose construction will be described
more closely below. In the bearing housing, a vertical shaft 12 is
rotably mounted, which shaft is rigidly fastened to a horizontal
rotation table 13, on which the mixing container 14, such as a
paint can, is intended to be positioned.
On the support disc 10, shaped as a pulley and belonging to the
frame 2, on the side opposite to the bearing housing 11, supports
16 have been fastened, on which supports pulleys 17 and 18,
respectively, have been mounted as freely rotating, by means of
shafts 19, 20 carried by the supports. The shafts are placed in a
plane perpendicular to the shaft 9. Moreover, a third pulley 21 has
been fastened to the support disc 10 by means of a support 15,
which pulley is mounted as freely rotating on the said support by
means of a shaft 22. This shaft is likewise placed in a plane
perpendicular to the shaft 9, but its direction forms an angle with
the direction of the shafts 19, 20. For the pulley 21, a
corresponding opening 23 has been formed in the support disc
10.
In the bearing housing 11, a pulley 24 of a larger diameter and
positioned higher has been mounted rotably, and coaxially with it a
pulley 25 of a smaller diameter and positioned lower, as will be
described more closely below.
The arrangement is now such that an endless belt 26 can be
conducted around the pulley 6, the pulley 17 operating as the
turning disc, and around the pulley 24 of the bearing housing 11
and from there further around the pulley 21 and the other pulley 25
of the bearing housing 11 and finally over the pulley 18 operating
as the turning disc back to the pulley 6. A separate endless belt
28 has been placed around the pulley 10 belonging to the frame and
the pulley 27 of the electric motor 4.
When the electric motor goes round, the belt 28 under these
circumstances rotates the pulley 10 and all the components fastened
to same, such as the pulleys 17, 18 and 21 as well as the bearing
housing 11 and the rotation table 13, around the center axis B--B
of the shaft 9. Since the pulley 6 is stationary a tractive force
is produced in the belt 26 when the frame 2 rotates, which force
causes rotation of the pulleys 24 and 25 and, consequently,
rotation of the rotation table 13 around the center axis A--A of
the bearing housing 11.
At the support disc 10 of the frame, two projections 29 have been
fastened which, at their outer ends, support two mutually parallel
slide rails 30, on which slide sleeves 31 have been placed. The
slide sleeves are connected to each other by means of a beam 32, at
whose middle a bearing 33 has been provided, at which one, freely
rotating fastening disc 34 has been mounted. Due to the slide rails
30 and the sleeves 31, the fastening disc 34 can be shifted in the
direction of the axis A--A so as to secure the can against the
rotation disc 13. The position of the rotation disc 13 is
preferably selected so that the center of gravity of the mixing
container lies as close as possible to the intersection point C of
the axis A--A and B--B. The construction of the shifting and
locking device for the sleeves 31 and the beam 32 between them has
not been shown. By changing the mutual relationship between the
diameters of the pulleys 6 and 24, 25, the ratio of the rates of
rotation around the axis A--A and B--B can be selected as
suitable.
Below, with particular reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, a detailed
description will be given of the transmission system, by means of
which the movement of the belt 26 is transferred to the rotation
disc 13 as a movement of rotation around the axis A--A.
The bearing housing 11 has bearings 36, in which the internal
bushing 35 has been mounted. The shaft 12 of the rotation disc 13
runs through the bushing 35. The pulley 24 has been mounted
separately on the bushing 35 by means of a bearing 36a. Also, the
other pulley 25 has been mounted at the opposite end of the bushing
35 by means of a separate bearing 37. In accordance with FIG. 3,
the rotation disc 13 has been shifted to the position corresponding
to the largest size of paint can, and in this case the rotation
disc 13 has been coupled by means of the peg 38 therein so as to
operate the pulley 24, whereby, of course, the shaft 12 is
disconnected from the other pulley 25. In accordance with FIG. 3,
the pulley 24 has a hole 39, into which the peg 38 is inserted when
the rotation disc 13 is pressed against the end of the bushing 35.
To the bushing 35, a transversal peg 40 has been fastened which
extends through an axial groove 41 in the shaft 12. The groove 41
extends towards the rotation disc 13 far enough so that the
rotation disc 13 is permitted to be pressed to the position in
accordance with FIG. 3.
When it is desired to alter the size of paint can and/or the number
of revolutions of the rotation around the axis A--A, the rotation
disc 13 is raised from the position shown in FIG. 3, whereby the
shaft 12 rises while the peg 40 moves in relation to the groove 41.
When the rotation disc has been raised to the upper position, the
rotation disc is turned slightly so that the peg 40 enters the
extended groove 42, constituting an extension of the groove 41,
whereby the rotation disc 13 is locked in connection with the
bushing 35. At the same time the locking lever 43, which was
previously inside the shaft in a pivoted position, can pivot around
its shaft 44 by the effect of its spring 45 to the position in
accordance with FIG. 4, in which position the locking lever 43 is
pressed into the grooves 46 at the end of the bushing 35 and the
pulley 25. In this way the pulley 25, the bushing 35, the shaft 12,
and the rotation disc 13 become firmly connected with each other,
and the rotation disc 13 becomes operated by the smaller pulley 25
while the other pulley 24 rotates freely. The shaft 44 of the
locking lever 43 as well as one end of its spring 45 are fastened
to a component 47 inside the shaft 12, which component is, on the
other hand, fastened to the bushing 35 by means of the peg 40.
When it is desired to move the rotation disc 13 from the position
shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 3, the rotation disc
13 is raised slightly so that the peg 40 becomes free from the
groove 42, and when the rotation disc 13 is turned, the peg comes
at the groove 41 and the rotation disc 13 can be lowered to the
position shown in FIG. 3. At the same time the end of the shaft 12
turns the locking lever 43 inside the shaft 12, whereby the
coupling between the shaft 12 and the pulley 25 is uncoupled.
It is natural that the movement of rotation around the axis A--A
can be produced, still remaining within the scope of the invention,
even in other ways besides by means of the single-belt system shown
in FIG. 1, but this system has proved highly reliable in operation.
In stead of the single-belt system it would be possible to use two
separate belts or various gear or friction-wheel transmissions.
The invention has been tested by means of a prototype in accordance
with the figures, in which the mixing revolution numbers were the
following: R = number of revolutions of the rotation around the
axis B--B = 173 rpm; r.sub.1 = number of revolutions of the
rotation by means of the pulley 25 around the axis A--A (smaller,
i.e. 0.25 to 3 litre paint cans) = 640 rpm; r.sub.2 = rotation
produced by means of the pulley 24 = 320 rpm (for the largest, i.e.
10 litre can size).
It is natural that there can also be more than two speeds of
rotation around the axis A--A, for example three or even more.
One of the most important advantages of the present invention is
that, when the rotation disc 13 is shifted and the can size
changed, at the same time the transmission ratio of the described
transmission system is also changed into the correct one by one
single operation.
* * * * *