Contents gage
AssigneeCRYO.sub.2 Corporation
InventorWarren E. Perkins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The fluid contents of a closed container, particularly a closed cryogen container, are gauged by lifting the container through a lever arm one end of which acts upon a pressure transducer coupled to indicating means while the other end of the arm is spring biased to suppress the empty or tare weight of the container.
Claims26
A portable, liquid oxygen therapy unit including contents gauging means comprising:
- flask means adapted to contain and store a quantity of liquid oxygen;
- means to vaporize and deliver a metered stream of oxygen to a user;
- a mounting plate fixedly attached to the top of said flask means;
- a lever arm pivotally attached to said plate at a pivot point intermediate the arm ends;
- spring means attached to one lever arm end and extending between said lever arm end and an attachment point in a lower portion of said unit, said spring means adapted to bias said lever arm end in a downward direction;
- pressure transducer means disposed at the other lever arm end and adapted to indicate an increased pressure upon downward movement of said other arm end;
- indicating means operatively connected to said pressure transducer and calibrated to show the level of liquid oxygen within said flask as a function of pressure indicated by said transducer, and
- handle means attached to said lever arm at a point intermediate the spring-attached lever arm end and the pivot point of said lever arm whereby lifting said therapy unit by said handle means causes said indicating means to provide a visual readout of the level of liquid oxygen contained within said flask.
A means for gauging a relatively small weight of fluid contained in a portable relatively heavy container comprising:
- a lever arm extending across the top of said container and pivotally attached to said container at a point intermediate the lever arm ends;
- spring means attached to and biasing one end of said lever arm;
- lifting means for said container attached to said lever arm at a point intermediate its ends but removed from said pivot point;
- pressure transducer means disposed at the other end of said lever arm, said transducer means arranged to indicate an increased pressure when said container is lifted by the lifting means, and
- indicating means displaying a visual measure of the fluid contents of said container as a function of said increased pressure.
A method for gauging a relatively small weight of fluid confined within a portable relatively heavy container, comprising:
- extending a lever arm across the top of said container and pirotally attaching said arm to said container at a pivot point intermediate the arm ends;
- providing a substantially constant biasing force acting downwardly upon one end of said arm;
- lifting said container through said lever arm by applying an upward force to a point on that arm intermediate the downwardly biased arm end and the pivot point of said arm;
- sensing the force exerted by the other end of said arm when said container is lifted, and
- translating said sensed force into visual indicia representative of a liquid level of the fluid in said container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.