Mono-material divider block assembly
OwnerCurtis Alan Roysinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention is directed to a divider block assembly made from one piece of material. Traditional divider blocks require modular sections so that piston alignment can be calibrated precisely. The current invention uses replaceable pistons and sleeves that are suitable for use at high fluid pressures. The use of these pistons also allows for a single, bodied, one-piece, metal divider body, rather than the conventional multiple block divider blocks, which allows for a more efficient manufacturing method and stronger, more reliable, and more efficient lubricant dispensing system. The use of any of these aspects separately can improve performance, and not all are required in every embodiment.
Claims19
A method of manufacturing a divider block comprising:
- providing a solid block of material;
- forming at least three piston bores in the solid block of material;
- forming at least three replaceable sleeves each of the at least three replaceable sleeves replaceable sleeve sized to fit within one of the at least three piston bores;
- forming at least three pistons each sized to fit within the at least three replaceable sleeves;
- inserting each one of the at least three pistons into a corresponding one of the at least three replaceable sleeves;
- mounting multiple O-rings onto each of the at least three replaceable sleeves;
- inserting each of the at least three replaceable sleeves with an inserted piston into one of the at least three piston bores;
- inserting an end plug into at least one end of each of the piston bores to secure the corresponding replaceable sleeve and piston within the piston bore.
A method of repairing a faulty divider block assembly, the divider block assembly operated by the pressure of the lubricant being dispensed and comprising:
- block made from a single piece of material having at least three bore holes;
- at least three piston-sleeve assemblies, each piston-sleeve assembly including:
- a sleeve sized to fit within a corresponding one of the at least three bore holes;
- multiple O-rings surrounding the sleeve to seal the sleeve within the corresponding bore hole;
- and
- a piston sized to fit within the sleeve;
- the method comprising:
- removing a faulty one of the at least three piston-sleeve assemblies from a corresponding bore hole;
- and
- inserting a replacement piston-sleeve assembly into the bore hole from which the faulty one of the piston-sleeve assemblies was removed.
A method of setting the output per cycle of a divider block, the divider block assembly being operated by the pressure of the lubricant being dispensed and comprising:
- a block made from one single piece of material having at least three bore holes;
- at least three piston-sleeve assemblies, each piston-sleeve assembly including:
- a sleeve sized to fit within the bore hole;
- multiple O-rings surrounding the sleeve to seal the sleeve within the bore hole to seal the sleeve;
- and
- a piston sized to fit within the sleeve, the volume output per cycle of each piston sleeve assembly being determined by the diameter of the piston;
- the method comprising:
- removing a first one of the at least three piston-sleeve assemblies from the corresponding bore hole, the first one of the at least three piston-sleeve-combinations providing a first output volume per cycle of the piston;
- and
- inserting a second piston-sleeve assembly the corresponding bore hole, the second piston-sleeve assembly providing a second output volume per cycle of the piston.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.