Powder feeding apparatus
AssigneeAdamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
InventorsJohn K. Simons, Zhaolin Wang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Powder feeding apparatuses (100; 200) and methods. The powder feeding apparatus (100; 200) can include first and second cylindrical rollers (106, 107; 206, 207) adjacent to each other and spaced apart by a gap (108; 208). The first roller (106; 206) can rotate intermittently and independently of the second roller (107; 207). The second roller can rotate intermittently and independently of the first roller. Powder from a hopper (102; 202) is fed through the gap as one or both rollers rotate. The powder feeding method may include a method of feeding powder by intermittently and alternately advancing a first and second roller to dispense powder from the hopper.
Claims19
A powder feeding apparatus comprising:
- a hopper having sidewalls and a bottom, wherein the bottom comprises first and second cylindrical rollers positioned adjacent to each other and configured so as to define a slot shaped opening between the two rollers in the hopper bottom,
- a drive system for rotating the first and second rollers, and
- a control system for controlling the drive system,
- wherein the drive system and control system are configured to repeatedly alternate the first roller between a rotational phase and a stationary phase independently of the second roller,
- wherein during the stationary phase the first roller does not rotate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.