Hot melt dispenser
AssigneeMay Coating Technologies, Inc.
InventorGerald A. Majkrzak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hopper-type hot melt dispenser for use in liquifying and dispensing drum or pail quantities of slug form hot melt includes a hopper size to receive a drum or pail of slug form hot melt. Band heaters around the circumference of the hopper heat the walls of the container suspended in the hopper causing slug form hot melt contained therein to be released as a slug into the hopper. The method of use of the apparatus provides for supporting a container of slug form hot melt in the hopper and heating the container with the band heaters until the slug is released, whereupon the container is removed from the hopper leaving the slug deposited therein.
Claims39
A hot melt dispenser for dispensing a solid, unitary mass slug of hot melt from a container wherein said slug adheres to the inside surfaces of said container in its unheated condition, said container open at one end to permit said slug to slide freely out of said container when said slug is released therefrom by the lowering of the adhesion of said slug to the sides of said container, said dispenser comprising:
- a hopper sized to receive said container;
- melting means located in the bottom of said hopper for melting hot melt to a liquified pumpable condition;
- support means for supporting said container in said hopper with said open end down and positioned above said melting means with an unobstructed path from slug between said open end and said melting means so that said slug can slide freely out of said container and into contact with said melting means once said slug is released from said container;
- means for pumping liquified hot melt from said hopper;
- and
- auxiliary heating means for heating the walls of said container when it is supported in said hopper by said support means, said heating means providing that said container is uniformly encircled with a heat sufficient to lower the adhesion of said slug to the inside surfaces of said container to cause said slug to be released from and slide out of said container as a solid unitary mass and into contact with said melting means and further to provide that at the time said slug is released from said container it retains nearly the same shape, dimensions and solid state it possessed in said unheated condition.
A method for unloading a slug of solid, unitary mass hot melt from a container into a hot melt dispenser hopper, said slug being retained inside said container by adhesion of said slug to the inside surfaces of said container in its unheated condition, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) opening one end of said unheated container to provide that once the adhesion of said slug to said container is sufficiently lowered to release said slug it can slide freely out of said container, and venting the other end of said container;
- (b) supporting said opened unheated container in said hopper with the open end of said container down and so that there is an unobstructed path for said slug to come out of said container to permit said slug to slide freely out of said container to the bottom of the hopper when it is released;
- (c) uniformly encircling the walls of said unheated container with a heat sufficient to lower the adhesion of said hot melt slug to the inside surfaces of said container so that said slug is released from said container and slides out as a solid unitary mass retaining nearly the same shape, dimensions and solid state as said slug possessed in said unheated condition;
- and
- (d) removing said container from said hopper after said slug is released so that said slug is deposited in said hopper as a solid unitary mass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.