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US 5,294,022 AGranted
Fluid dispenser with a magnetically operable discharge opening
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorAnthony Earle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorAnthony Earle
Estimating the term…
A fluid dispenser comprises an open-topped flexible container (13) which tapers downwardly to a discharge opening (14). The container (13) is mounted on a load platform (11) of a load cell (10). The portion of the container (13) that forms the discharge opening (14) is between one permanent magnet (16) on the load platform (11) and another permanent magnet (17) which is fixed to the material of the container (13). The magnets (16 and 17) attract one another to close the discharge opening (14). An electro-magnetic actuator (18), spaced from the magnet (17), is operable on command from a computer (12) to attract the magnet (17) and open the discharge opening (14). The computer (12) controls a shut-off valve (18) to control filling of the container (13) in accordance with the weight read out from the load cell (10).
A fluid dispenser comprising a container having an inlet and a dispensing outlet, electromagnetically-operable actuating means which are operable by effecting a change in their state of magnetisation to effect opening of closure means to cause or allow discharge of fluid from the container through the dispensing outlet, characterised in that said closure means are mounted at said dispensing outlet and are magnetically operable by magnet means additional to said electromagnetically-operable actuating means so that they are normally closed by magnetic attraction to close said dispensing outlet, said electromagnetically-operable actuating means being physically spaced from said closure means when the latter are closed and being operable to effect opening of said closure means against the action of said magnetic attraction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.